A change for the better
by InuShikon
Summary: Kagome and her twin consider themselves very lucky. They have great friends and a loving family. But when the past of their family comes back to haunt them, how will this affect their lives? Will it be for the worse, or maybe for the better?
1. Chapter 1

A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER

**A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER**

**Type: Anime**

**Date of Completion: 7/9/07-8/31/07**

**Genre: Action/Romance**

**Crossover: Inyasha/Naruto/Gensomaden Sayuki Crossover**

**Pairings: Kagome/Itachi**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Gensomaden Sayuki or Naruto**

**Chapter 1: A Happy Start**

Kagome wiped her head as she finished the sweeping of the grounds of her family's shrine. The now nineteen-year-old priestess looked at the sky and frowned as she noticed the rain clouds gathering.

_I hope it doesn't rain too much. I still want to do some training today_ she thought. Shrugging, she put away the broom and entered the house.

"Mom, I'm done sweeping the grounds!" she called to her mother.

"Alright dear. I'm here in the kitchen" her mother called back. Kagome headed to the kitchen and saw her mother over the stove, cooking something that smelled very delicious. YengLa turned and smiled at her daughter as she bowed politely. Growing up in a shrine, Kagome and her two brothers were taught proper manners that only royalty would learn. YengLa's smile became warmer as she motioned for her daughter to stand straight.

"Kagome dear, have you finished the rest of your chores?" she asked.

"Almost. I still have to bring in the laundry. It looks like it's going to rain, and I think it's going to be a big one," Kagome replied.

"There's no need dear. I already did that earlier. But I want you to call Goku and Souta back into the house. I don't want them to get in the rain right after their training," YengLa said.

Kagome nodded. "Alright mom. Do you need me to do anything else after that?" Kagome asked.

YengLa shook her head. "No, that will be all," she said. Kagome bowed again and left the kitchen, going through the back door. She headed to the shrine dojo, where she found her twin brother Goku training their youngest brother Souta in hand-to-hand combat. She stood by the doorway and watched the two of them.

_Souta is improving greatly. At this rate, he'll advance from hand-to-hand combat to sword fighting in just a week or two_ she thought with pride.

Kagome and her brother's are half-Chinese, from their mother, and half-Japanese, from their father. The two of them met while their father, Kinta, was in China, looking for an ancient sword that belonged to their family, but was lost some years earlier. YengLa, seeing that Kinta was having some trouble looking for the sword, kindly offered to let him stay at her place and help with finding the sword. The two of them fell in love, got married and moved to Japan, where Kinta's father was managing a shrine. That was the story YengLa and Kinta told their children, but the three of them had always suspected that their was something more behind the story.

It was tradition in YengLa's family to teach their children fighting, and it was the same in Kinta's family, so the two of them agreed to teach both Chinese and Japanese style of fighting. However, they only agreed to teach them enough so their children could defend themselves. But as they progressed, Kagome and Goku insisted on learning more. Even after they learned every style their parents could teach them, Kagome and her brother still wanted to learn more. So at the age of ten years old, Kagome and Goku began to travel the world with their father whenever he would look for an artifact for the shrine. Amazingly, they would master the fighting styles, in time for their departure back to Japan.

This is because Kagome and Goku are child prodigies, and because of this, they never had any problems with school, and since they have traveled in most parts of the world, they are fluent in many languages, excluding Japanese and Chinese. These are French, Russian, German, Portuguese, Korean, Mandarin and English. When Kagome and Goku were sixteen, they enrolled for high school, and manage to graduate in just two years. They are currently in the second year of their college, and despite spending many years of their childhood learning how to fight, they managed to make many friends. YengLa and Kinta couldn't be any prouder of them.

When Souta was born, YengLa and Kinta hoped he would grow up just like his older siblings, and they weren't disappointed. Souta was soon discovered to be a child prodigy as well, and he also had a passion for fighting. And even though the only language he learned, apart from Japanese and Chinese, was English, his family is still very proud of him.

Goku, who noticed her standing by the doorway, brought Kagome out of her thoughts.

"Hey sis, what's up?" he asked.

Kagome smiled at them. "Mom wants you to go inside. It's going to rain and dinner's almost ready," she said.

Goku nodded and turned to Souta. "We'll continue training some other time," he said. Souta nodded and the two of them quickly cleaned the dojo before heading back inside the house with their sister. While Kagome helped her mother with dinner, Goku and Souta cleaned themselves. The two of them entered the kitchen, and after giving respect to their mother and grandfather, they all started eating.

"By the way, I got a call from your father this morning. He said that he finally tracked down that armor he was looking for. And there's something else. He told me that there was a Jewel with it as well. It's called the Jewel of Chaos," YengLa said.

"That's great! It means Papa will come home soon!" Souta cheered.

"Yeah. And I can't wait to take a look at that armor. I read in one of the scrolls that it's supposed to have magical powers," Goku said.

"We'll I'm looking forward to examining the Jewel of Chaos. I read that it's supposed to be like the Jewel of Four Souls, only it's more powerful and can grant unlimited wishes," Kagome chimed in.

YengLa smiled and their grandfather looked proudly at them. "Yes, but that means that the Jewel of Chaos would require a lot more spiritual power. By the way", he added, turning to Kagome, "how is the Jewel of Four Souls?"

"It's fine grandpa. It's harmonizing perfectly with my miko powers. It seems taking the seal off it did nothing to disturb it's sleep," Kagome replied.

"That's great sis", Goku said.

Souta turned to his mother. "Mom, when is Papa coming back?" he asked.

"He should be back by Wednesday," YengLa replied as she gathered the plates around the table. Kagome rose to help her mother while Goku went to storage rooms with his grandfather to make sure that nothing had gotten wet by the rain, which had ended while they were eating dinner. Souta headed to his room to study.

"Mom do you need me and Goku for anything tomorrow? 'Cause Sango and the others asked us to hang-out" Kagome asked.

"No dear. You and Goku have just fun tomorrow. Do you need some money?" YengLa asked.

"That's alright Mom. We already got our own. Thanks mom," Kagome said.

"Welcome dear. You can go and rest now," YengLa added, "I can finish up here"

"Alright. Goodnight Mom," Kagome said as she kissed her mother on the cheek and headed to her room. Kagome sat behind her desk and looked at some of the job offers some big companies are offering her. She noticed that some of the companies are very influential.

_If I remember right, Goku got the same offers_ she thought. She looked up as Goku entered the room.

"Hey sis, grandpa and I are done checking the artifacts. You can use the bathroom after mom is done," he said.

Kagome nodded. "Thanks bro. Have you looked at these job offers yet?" she asked.

"Yeah. The offers are great, so is the pay. But the only problem is, we won't have much time for our studies and training," he explained.

"I thought so. Let's ask Papa about what he thinks we should do when he gats back" she said.

"Besides, I don't need to consider those offers since I already got a job right now," Goku added. Kagome giggled.

Goku nodded and left the room. Kagome stretched and prepared herself for a nice refreshing bath. After she was done, she decided to meditate for a while with the Jewel of Four Souls, and then headed to bed.

***

The next morning, Kagome woke up early. After meditating for ten minutes, she dressed and headed to breakfast. When she got to the kitchen, she found her twin and mother already there. She bowed.

"Good morning Mom, big bro" she greeted.

"Good morning Kagome. You're up early today. Goku told me that you wouldn't have to meet your friends until lunch" YengLa said as she served her daughter breakfast. Kagome smiled her thanks.

"Yeah, but I wanted to do some training, since I didn't manage to do any yesterday" she replied. She finished her breakfast and headed to the sink to wash the dishes.

"By the way 'Gomes. Dad called this morning. He said he'll be able to go home earlier than expected, so he'll be here tomorrow afternoon," Goku said.

Kagome smiled happily. "That's great! I'm so happy Papa is going to be home again. He's been gone way too long. Does Souta know?" she asked.

"He's still sleeping. I'll tell him later when he wakes up," Goku said, taking a sip of his tea.

"Alright then, if you need me, I'll be in the dojo. Can you please call me when its time to get ready?" Kagome asked her twin. At Goku's nod, she bowed to her mother and headed upstairs to her room to get ready. She came out wearing her favorite fighting outfit with her sword in her right hand.

Her fighting outfit was a two-piece outfit with a combined Japanese and Chinese style, colored peach. The top has long, wide sleeves that reached her ankles, with slits reaching her elbows. The buttons were at the right side of her chest while there was a 1Sakura flower on the left. It had a turtleneck. The two sides of the top had slits, exposing a little of her stomach. The bottom half is a combination of a ankle-length skirt with large slits on the sides reaching her hips and inside were a pair of black mini shorts. Her shoes were a pair of white boots just below her knees.

Kagome greeted her grandfather, who was sweeping the grounds, and went straight to the dojo to train. After three hours, Goku called her attention.

"Hey sis. Come on, you should get ready. Inuyasha called and told me to meet us at the mall," he said. Kagome nodded. She was about to clean the dojo, but Goku shook his head.

"I'll take care of it. Go get ready, or we'll be late. It always takes you hours just to pick the clothes your going to wear," he joked. Kagome stuck out her tongue at him playfully, and then left to do just what he said. When Kagome came down the stairs, she found Goku sleeping on the sofa. With a slight frown, she went over to him and shook him awake.

"Goku, wake up! We still have to meet up with the others, and you're here sleeping!" she scolded. Goku started awake and looked at her sleepily. With a yawn, he said, "Sorry, but it's your fault. You took so long getting ready that I fell asleep waiting for you,"

Kagome pouted. "Hey! I don't take that long to get ready!" she defended herself. Goku looked at her with a scrutinizing eye.

"'Gomes, I've been waiting here for two and a half hours," he stated. Kagome blushed slightly.

"Well, maybe I do," she mumbled. Goku shook his head.

"Anyway, come on. The others are probably waiting for us," he said "Mom, were going!" he added to his mother.

"Alright! Enjoy yourselves!" YengLa called out. Without giving Kagome a chance to talk, he pulled her out of the door and into their car. When they reached the mall, they looked around for their friends. They turned around when someone called out Kagome's name.

The two of them saw Sango waving at them. She was sitting beside her perverted boyfriend Miroku, Inuyasha beside his girlfriend Kikyo, and 2Keiji beside his girlfriend Reiko. Keiji has short black hair, gray eyes, well-built body and the group comedian. Reiko has long blond hair, brown eyes, slender figure and the shy one in the group. That's the reason why Keiji likes her so much. That, and she's the only one who would laugh at his lame jokes. Kagome and Goku went over to them and sat down.

"Keh, finally" Inuyasha grumbled.

"Blame it on my twin here. It took her ages to get ready, as usual," Goku smirked. Kagome chose to ignore this statement and turned to Kikyo.

"Did anything happen before we got here?" she asked.

"Not really. Inuyasha was just being his usual self, that's all" Kikyo said.

"What happened?" Kagome asked, already knowing something was bothering her friend.

"The new computer game he waiting for is sold out," came the reply.

"Its not fair!" Inuyasha whined, "the game was just released yesterday and already it's sold out! I've been waiting for that game for months!"

"I told you to pay a reservation fee," Goku said.

"Yeah, like me!" Keiji added, "If you just agreed to come with me that day, you would have been enjoying a perfectly good computer game." He fell silent at the deadly glare Inuyasha gave him.

"I was just saying" Keiji mumbled. Kagome smirked and turned to Kikyo.

"Don't you should give it to him? If you don't do it now, he's going to be like that all day," she said. Kikyo chuckled as she reached into her bag and took out a computer game, which she handed to Inuyasha, who shouted in delight.

"I can't believe it! Kikyo you're the best!" Inuyasha shouted and kissed her on the lips.

"Before the two of you have a make-out session right here, what do you say we go inside and eat? I'm starving and people are starting to stare a us," Sango interrupted. Sure enough, the people around them were staring at them curiously. All of them quickly trooped inside, Kikyo and Inuyasha a bit red from embarrassment.

They headed straight to the food court and ordered their food.

"Kagome, I thought you had work today?" Reiko asked

"Mr. Naraku gave the employees a day off today because its his daughters birthday" Kagome explained.

"Keh, I still think you should resign. That Naraku is completely nuts. I've noticed every time he looks at you, its like he wants to rape you or something," Inuyasha said.

"Yeah Kagome. I've asked some friends who used to work for him, and they all feel the same thing," Miroku added.

Kagome sighed and nodded. "I know, but I haven't found another job yet. And I'm still waiting for my pay. I have plans for that money," she said.

"What for?" Goku asked. Kagome eyed him.

"To pay for my phone bill. You know, because of that 'important call' you made last week that lasted four hours," she said. Goku laughed sheepishly.

"When is your pay day?" Kikyo asked.

"This coming Friday" Kagome explained.

"Well, when you get it, make sure you quit right away," Inuyasha said.

"I told you, I haven't…" Kagome started, but was interrupted.

"You don't have to look for a new job, I already got one for you. My dad is looking for a new assistant, and you're perfect for the job," Inuyasha said.

Goku snapped his fingers in agreement. "Oh yeah! I'd forgotten you told me about that," he said. Sango looked at them both in disbelief.

"Kagome is a genius, and the best job you can get her is a secretary?" she asked with one eyebrow raised.

"I didn't say secretary, I said assistant!" Inuyasha snapped.

"What's the difference anyway?" Kagome asked before a fight could start. Goku answered her.

"It's actually more like being the vice president than an assistant. You have to help Mr. Taisho with all the big stuff. You get to go to all the parties he goes to, meet the presidents of the other big companies, those kind of things," he explained.

"Really? But don't you get to do that? I mean, Mr. Taisho invites you to those high class gatherings, doesn't he?" Kagome asked her brother.

"Yeah. Because I'm the head of the Designs and Development department, I have to meet the president of the other companies because they buy the products our department designs. On the other hand, when you become Mr. Taisho's assistant, you have to meet them so you can represent the company when Mr. Taisho can't," Goku replied.

"Really? That sounds like a great job. Inuyasha, can you please ask your dad if I can have an appointment with him?" Kagome asked.

"Sure" came the reply.

"Thanks" Kagome said.

Sango clapped her hands. "Alright. Now that this problem is settled, let's go celebrate by watching a movie," she said. There was a chorus of agreement and all of them spent a fun afternoon together.

***

Kagome and Goku reached their shrine near dinnertime. Kagome went to the kitchen to put away the cake they brought while Goku headed to his room. The former was just wondering where the rest of her family was when her grandfather entered the room. Kagome bowed.

"Good evening, grandpa," she greeted.

"Good evening my dear. Did you and Goku enjoyed yourselves?" her grandpa asked as he sat down.

"Yes, we even brought a cake for when Papa comes home. By the way", Kagome added as she prepared some tea, "where are Mom and Souta?"

"Buying some more food for tomorrow. Your mother wants to have a celebration when your father gets back" came the amused reply. Kagome giggled.

"That's so just like mom. By the way grandpa, " she added as she served her grandfather some tea "I'm going to quit my job. Inuyasha said he might have a new job for me as Mr. Taisho's assistant at Taisho Corp. I'm expecting his call tonight about the appointment,"

Her grandfather smiled his agreement. "Fantastic! I'm happy you'll finally be able to quit that job of yours. That Naraku character is very strange. I don't want you working any longer for him," he finished with a frown.

"Don't worry grandpa. If all goes well, I'll go to the office tomorrow and resign before Papa gets back," Kagome assured him. Just then, the phone rang. Kagome finished cooking as her grandfather picked up the phone and her mother's voice rang through the house.

"Were home!"

"I'm in the kitchen mom!" Kagome called back. Kagome had just finished setting the table when YengLa and her brothers entered the room. Kagome bowed to her mother and served the three of them some tea.

"Thank you dear. Did you and Goku enjoy yourselves today?" YengLa asked as Goku helped Souta put away the grocery.

Kagome nodded. "Yeah, we even bought a cake for tomorrow. Mom, I got something to…" she started, but at that moment, her grandfather called her.

"Kagome, phone!" he called.

Kagome excused herself and took the call, already knowing who it is.

"Hey Inuyasha, what's up?" she greeted.

"Hey. I just finished talking to dad, and he says he'll be glad to hire you as his assistant. He also said that he doesn't need to interview you. He already knows you'll do a fantastic job. All you have to do is meet him this Thursday to discuss the details," Inuyasha said.

"Great! Thanks a lot Inuyasha. You're the best," Kagome said.

"No problem. So are you going to quit or what?" Inuyasha demanded.

"Sure am. Tomorrow. Grandpa thinks I should quit as soon as possible. He thinks Naraku is strange," Kagome said, rolling her eyes. She heard Inuyasha snort on the other side of the line.

"Your grandpa thinks everyone is strange. Remember the first time I went to your place, he tried to purify me because he thought I was a demon?" he grumbled.

Kagome laughed at the memory. "Oh yeah! It was because of your hair and eyes. That was really funny. It took us one hour to convince him that you were human," she recalled.

"I don't think we did a good job of it, though. Every time I go there, he always looks at me suspiciously. And he's always carrying those purifying talismans with him. Its like he's expecting me to slip up and reveal my demon side or something," Inuyasha complained. Kagome laughed.

"Don't worry, those talismans don't work on humans, or on anything, for that matter," Kagome assured her friend.

"I just remembered. You might see someone familiar at work soon," Inuyasha suddenly said.

Kagome sounded confused. "Who?" She asked.

"Sesshoumaru. He's coming back here in Japan to learn running the company," Inuyasha explained.

_That's right. It's been three years since Sesshoumaru moved to America. I wonder how he is after all this time?_ Kagome wondered. She nodded at her brother as he motioned that it was time to eat.

"Ok, thanks again Inuyasha. I got to go, were about to eat dinner," Kagome said.

"Alright. Don't forget the meeting," Inuyasha said before hanging up. Kagome did the same and went to the kitchen to join her family.

"You took a long time Kagome," Souta noted as they started eating.

"I was just talking to Inuyasha about a job he offered me," Kagome said and explained about what happened earlier in the day.

YengLa nodded her understanding. "Alright dear. Just make sure you're back in time for the party tomorrow," she said.

"I will mom," Kagome assured her mother with a smile.

"Hey sis, looks like we'll be working together soon," Goku pointed out.

Kagome nodded happily. "Yeah! I'm really looking forward to it," she said. But suddenly suspecting something, she added, "And just because that is going to happen, it doesn't mean that you can use me as your scapegoat, so you can forget it,"

Goku looked hurt and insulted, clutching his chest dramatically. "What! Kagome, I'm hurt. Do you really think I would do such a thing to my sister? My own twin sister?" he exclaimed.

"Yes," Kagome answered at once "since you did that to me all the time during our old job,"

Goku sighed dramatically as the rest of their family laughed loudly. "Jeesh sis. That really hurts, you know. It hits me right here," he pointed to his heart. Kagome sighed and shook her head.

"Honestly big bro. Stop being such a drama king. You're more dramatic than Ella," she said. Goku choked on his tea and glared at Kagome, who simply stuck out her tongue at him. The rest of the night was spent in laughter at the expense of Goku.

&&&

 The Goku in this FanFic is from Gensomaden Sayuki. I thought I should make it clear, since some of my friends that have read my story thought it was from Dragon Ball. =p

1 Sakura means Cherry Blossoms in Japanese

2 I only described the characters of Keiji and Reiko since they are my characters.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The start of change**

Naraku frowned as he read the resignation letter Kagome handed him, who was sitting patiently before him.

"Ms. Higurashi, may I ask why you are resigning? Aren't you happy here?" he asked.

Kagome shook her head. "No, it's not that Mr. Naraku. It's just that my mother thinks that the offer is a good opportunity for me and it will give me the experience I need, given the course I am taking," she explained. A brief look of irritation flashed at his face, but Kagome, with her abilities, spotted it as if it was in slow motion. Naraku stood up.

"I understand Ms. Higurashi. We will surely miss you here," he said as he shook her hand.

"Thank you Mr. Naraku. I really enjoyed working here," Kagome replied.

_Yeah right_ she added in her mind. Kagome left her boss' (former boss') office and went to her desk. Taking a box from under the desk, she started to gather her things. Her former officemates said their goodbye's as she packed. Some of them even escorted her from the building. At the gates, Kagome sighed.

_I never realized I had so many things. How am I supposed to get home lugging all these around?_ she thought with a frown. A honk startled her from her thoughts.

"Hey sis! Need a lift?" Goku asked as he got out of their car, a smirk on his face.

"Goku, thank God you came! I was just wondering how I was going to get home," Kagome said as she put her things in the trunk. Goku chuckled as Kagome seated herself in the passenger seat. He started the engine and off they went.

"I figured you might need help. You never realize how much things you take with you at work, do you? Even in school you're like that," he said.

"Yeah. It's a wonder how I made it all fit," Kagome said with a laugh. They reached the shrine after ten minutes of driving. Goku put away Kagome's things while she helped her mother with the cooking. They managed to finish with thirty minutes to spare. Kagome and YengLa had just finished dressing when someone entered the living room.

"Something smells great," Kinta Higurashi said as he put down his luggage.

"Dad, you're finally home!" Souta shouted as he ran to his father and hugged him happily, knocking him to the ground. Kinta laughed as he ruffled his youngest son's hair.

"How have you been Souta?" he asked.

"I'm fine. And my training is going great. I'm gong to learn sword fighting soon," Souta replied proudly. Kagome and Goku laughed as thy helped their father up.

"Come on Papa. Let's go to the kitchen. Mom's really outdone herself this time," Kagome said. When they entered the kitchen, the sight of a smiling YengLa and a wonderful feast greeted them. YengLa's smile made her even more radiant as she kissed her husband.

"Welcome home dear. We've really missed you," she greeted. Kinta smiled sweetly as he returned the affection.

"I've missed you too, so much" he whispered softly in her ear. The two of them broke apart when they heard Souta groan.

"Eww! Gross! Mom, Dad, we had an agreement you wouldn't do that in front of me!" he exclaimed.

YengLa laughed at the dejected look on Kinta's face. "I'm sorry Souta. Shall we eat now?" she said.

"Wait, where's grandpa?" Kagome asked.

"He's in the storerooms," her mother replied.

"I'll go get him," Kagome said and left through the back door. She saw her grandfather emerging from one of the storehouses.

"Grandpa" Kagome called out," let's go inside. Everyone is waiting for us"

"Alright Kagome. I was just checking if we have enough space to store the armor in" her grandfather replied when he reached her.

"Don't worry grandpa. We can always use the other storehouses if we need them. Now why don't we join the others before Goku etas the entire feast Mom made? You know how brother eats. He's like a giant vacuum," Kagome giggled. Her grandfather laughed and the two of them went inside to fin the rest of the family already seated.

"Come on, grandpa, big sis. Hurry! Let's eat!" Souta said from his seat. Both of them smiled and sat down. A conversation ensued as Kinta old them about his travels. Souta contributed by telling his father what happened while he was gone, Kagome and Goku occasionally adding a comment. Kinta congratulated Kagome on her new job. After all, Taisho Inc. was one of the most influential and powerful companies in the world, and two of his children have a job there.

After they had eaten, they all proceeded to the living room to open the gifts Kinta bought for his family and to adore the armor he found in Italy (and they have a right to. After all, it took Kinta 3 months to find it), along with the Jewel of Chaos.

The jewel looked a bit like the Jewel of Four Souls, except that it's pure black and a bit smaller. Everyone in the room could feel the power radiating from it, even Buyo, making the feline curl beside Souta. Next, they turned their attention to the armor and studied it carefully. It was colored black, and though it was very old (more like ancient), it still shined like brand new. It had a silver lining around its sides. The only thing missing was the helmet.

"Hey Dad, where's the helmet?" Souta asked.

"It doesn't have one. It was made like that. But there's a legend that the helmet was lost long ago because of a war that took place between two kingdoms. The reason for the war was a beautiful princess. Her name was Princess Tamara. Because of her status, she is the treasure of their kingdom. And as can be expected, she is also the most beautiful. The kings of two other kingdoms wanted her to wed their sons, not only for her amazing beauty and intelligence, but they also hoped to someday gain her wondrous kingdom. The war took place and continued for several months. Tamara, because of her kind heart, did everything she could to stop the war from happening, but it was already too late. The two princes met each other on the battlefield. One of them, Prince Haito, was the one who wore this armor. He and the other prince, Shinta, were very evenly matched, so in the end, no one won the war and eventually, Princess Tamara died without marrying anyone at all," Kinta said. He prepared himself for the wave of questions he knew were coming.

"What happened to Princess Tamara?"

"That's it? After all that drama, she's not even going to marry one of them?"

"Where did the helmet go?"

Kinta calmed them down while his wife and father laughed in the background. "Calm down, you three. I'll tell you the rest of the story. Other people say that the reason Princess Tamara didn't marry someone else was because she was already in love with Prince Haito, and she took the helmet as a reminder of the man she loved. Even in her deathbed, she held the helmet and using the last of her strength, she told her parents the truth. And that she would love him in this life or the next," he finished.

While Kagome and Souta questioned their father further, Goku turned to look at the armor again.

"This is so cool. I would love to wear something like this," Goku whispered in awe. He suddenly got an idea. He turned back to his father with pleading eyes, but before he could say anything, his father spoke in a stern voice.

"Forget it Goku. You are not to use that armor under any circumstances. Its an antique and absolutely priceless. If even one scratch gets on that armor, you'll be on clean-up duty until you're eighty," he said.

Goku sighed while Kagome and Souta laughed loudly. He glared at them both, but that only made them laugh harder.

"Goku, I don't know why you even try. You never had a chance anyway," Kagome said as she wiped tears of laughter from her eyes.

"Alright kids, that's enough now. It's late, and Kagome still needs to settle things at her new job tomorrow," their grandfather said to them.

"My father's right. Get to bed, you three," Kinta added. The three of them nodded in understanding and stood up. After giving respect to their parents and grandfather, they trooped up the stairs, each heading to their own rooms. YengLa sighed in contentment and turned to her husband and father-in-law.

"Don't you think were very fortunate to have the three of them? I'm very proud of all the things they've done," she said happily.

Kinta nodded. "Yes. We've truly been blessed when the Gods brought them into our lives," he agreed as he put his arm around his wife's shoulder. His father agreed.

YengLa smiled warmly. "Let's go to bed as well," she said. They were about to climb the stairs when they heard someone knock on the door.

Kinta looked puzzled. "That's strange. It's pretty late. Who could that be?" he wondered aloud as he went to the door. After a few minutes, he came back carrying a scroll tied with a blue ribbon.

"There was no on there, but this was left outside the door," Kinta said. Kinta's father and YengLa came over curiously as he opened untied the scroll. His frown deepened the further he read the scroll. When he finished, Kinta's face looked slightly paled.

"Kinta, what's the matter? You look worried," YengLa said. Kinta didn't answer.

"What did the scroll say son?" his father added.

Kinta's voice sounded heavy and grave as he answered.

"It seems that our past has caught up with us YengLa. This scroll comes something about the Dark Tournament," he said.

YengLa looked surprised. "The Dark Tournament? Why did you say that? What did the scroll say Kinta?" she demanded. Without a word, Kinta handed her the scroll and sat down, still looking pale. YengLa quickly read the scroll aloud for the benefit of her father-in-law.

**YengLa Chen,**

**This is to inform you that the Dark Tournament will commence in one year. The Chen Royal family has tasked you to represent our clan in battle. We will expect an answer in one week.**

When YengLa finished reading the scroll, she instantly sat down, suddenly feeling ill. She put the scroll aside and clasped her shaking hands together.

_It seems that my past has is still haunting me. I hoped to never compete in the Dark Tournament ever again. Especially now that I have a family of my own. But I should have expected something like this from my family_ she thought sadly. She felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw her husband with a small smile on his face.

"Oh Kinta! What are we going to do?" she whispered fearfully. Kinta shook his head sadly.

"I really don't know!" he admitted.

They sat in silence for a while. Kinta's father cleared his throat and said in a serious, but saddened voice," We won't get anywhere if we worry about this all night. Let's get some rest. We'll talk about what were going to do tomorrow"

YengLa and Kinta saw the sense in the advice. The three of them headed to their rooms, thinking about how this will affect their children.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Chapter 3: Revealing the Truth**

"We only have a week to tell them our response," Kinta said gravely as he drank his tea.

"There really is no other response Kinta. I have to compete in the Dark Tournament. Even if I refuse, they'll find some way to make me fight," YengLa said sadly.

They were silent for a while, and then Kinta's father spoke. "How will we tell the children? There is no way they won't get involved in this."

YengLa answered in a whisper. "I'll tell them, but not today. I'll tell them soon, but not now. Today is an important day for Kagome. I don't want to ruin it for her,"

The other two nodded and finished their conversation just in time to hear Kagome and Goku scream at the top of their lungs.

**"Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh. Were late!!! Extremely late!!!!!"**

So the rest of the week passed normally for the Higurashi family. At last, the night came when it was finally time for YengLa to tell Kagome and her brothers the truth. YengLa watched her children as they talked and laughed, teased each other and show their love for one another. Tears came to her eyes at the thought of never seeing them again.

YengLa snapped out of her thoughts as Kagome was telling the rest of the family about how Goku slipped during practice and fell face first on the floor. YengLa watched every scene, fighting the tears she feared would come.

_I wonder if I'll ever see them again. Even if I win the Dark Tournament, there's no guarantee that I will survive_ she thought sadly.

Kagome noticed her mother's thoughtful look. "Mom, what's the matter? Is anything wrong?" she asked with concern. YengLa started and saw that everyone was looking at her. She smiled warmly at them.

"Nothing. I'm fine. I'm sorry I made you worry," she replied. Kagome gave her two brothers meaningful looks. Goku nodded slightly. Kagome turned back to her mother.

"Mom, is there something that's been bothering you? This past week, we've noticed that you seem…troubled. Did something happen? Maybe we can help you," Kagome suggested. YengLa turned to her husband, surprised. She thought that she had been more discreet about her emotions. In her youth, she was an expert in concealing her emotions. She could be tortured and not twitch an eyelash. But, after all, years have passed since then.

"Thank you dear. You're sweet. There's nothing bothering me. But I have to talk to you three later," YengLa replied. Kagome, Goku and Souta looked at each other, surprised, but said nothing. After the table had been cleared, everyone headed to the living room and sat in their usual places, preparing to listen to YengLa. She was twisting her hands in agitation. She took a deep breath and whispered, "Where to start?"

Kinta cleared his throat. "I'll help you dear. Kids, what your mother is trying to tell you is that there's a secret that we've been keeping from you for years now. Something about our past and about your real bloodline," he started. Although Goku and his siblings were bursting with questions, they kept silent. They could tell that this isn't one their frequent 'legend meetings'.

"The fact is," Kinta continued, "the three of you are royalty." Even though Kagome, Goku and Souta are geniuses, it took them several minutes to absorb what their father said. Finally, Goku spoke for the three of them.

"Dad, I'm sorry. We don't get it. What do you mean were royalty?" Goku asked. YengLa intervened.

"Your father means what he says. You're royalty, from my side of the family. You already know that my maiden name is YengLa Chen. I am, or rather was, a part of the Chen royal Family of China. My parents, your grandparents, are heads of the Chen Clan, Li Chen and MaeChu Chen." YengLa took a slow, deep breath and continued.

"Every couple of years, the three main clans of China hold a fighting tournament called the Dark Tournament. The host of this tournament is always the Chen Clan. Anyway, the three clans send two fighters each to represent their clan. The Chen Clan rarely looses in this tournament, ever since it was established four hundred years ago," she said. No one said anything for a while. Goku and his siblings were still in a bit of shock. The Chen Family of China is a very powerful family, one of the most influential in the whole world, and they are actually a part of it! Kagome recovered first and looked at her two brothers. Goku's mouth was slightly open and Souta was shaking his head in disbelief. She decided to ask the question she knew that was going through their minds.

"Uh… mom. Uh…we really appreciate that you finally told us this. We knew it couldn't have been hard for you but…why **are** you telling us this now? I mean, it's obvious that you didn't really want to remember," she asked.

YengLa looked at Kinta, then answered in a serious voice. "Because the Chen Clan has chosen me to be one of their fighters to represent our clan. The Dark Tournament will commence in one year, and I will have to give my answer tomorrow"

When they heard this, Kagome and Goku instantly protested. "Mom! You can't possibly b thinking of fighting in this tournament? You'll get hurt! I won't le you do it!" Goku practically shouted. Kagome nodded. Though she spoke in a calmer tone, she agreed whole-heartedly with her brother.

"Big Bro is right Mom. You can't fight! We know you were an exceptional fighter when you were young, but that was years ago. Things are different now! And besides, how come they are only asking you o fight now?" she reasoned.

YengLa shook her head. "I don't know! But I can't refuse. Being chosen to fight in the Dark Tournament is the highest honor one could receive in our clan. If I refuse, I would disgrace my family in the eyes of the three clans. I can't do that. I admit that I didn't really…appreciate…my family's beliefs, but I still care for them," she replied. Kagome and Goku looked at each other. They saw the same meaning in each other's looks. Being twins, they have a way of talking with each other without saying a word. They nodded at each other and turned to their parents determinedly.

"Mom, we'll take your place and fight at the Dark Tournament," they said in unison. Souta and his grandfather looked at each other, shocked, but didn't say a thing. After all, what could they say? So they just watched the scene unfold.

YengLa stood up and instantly protested. "You most certainly will not! The Dark Tournament is dangerous! Many people have already died because of that tournament. I will not allow the two of you to sacrifice your life and happiness for my own!" she determinedly said.

"And what about your friends here? And your jobs? Are the two of you just planning on leaving them?" Kinta added.

"Then we'll tell Mr. Taisho that a family matter has arisen and that we'll need to go to China. He'll understand. We really don't need to go to the office to do our jobs," Kagome explained.

"Since we are also a part of the Chen Clan, we can participate, right? Besides Mom, you and Dad have taught us all forms of fighting. Not to mention, Kagome and I have traveled in almost very part of the world just to learn more fighting techniques. We'll be fine," Goku added. YengLa and Kinta tried to change their minds, but Goku and Kagome were determined. At last, YengLa and her husband wielded. With a sigh, they finally agreed to let their children fight. After all, the two of them had a better chance of survival.

"Alright," Kinta finally said, exhausted by the debate with his children. Kagome went over to her mother and hugged her reassuringly, who looked absolutely miserable at their decision.

"Mom, please don't worry about us. Big Bro and I will be fine. It's like you said the tournament is dangerous. That's why we want to fight in your place. If you get hurt, we will blame ourselves, knowing we could have done something to prevent it, but did nothing. We'll be fine. And with our powers fully developed, our chances of survival will increase," she reasoned. YengLa said nothing, but hugged her daughter back.

"All right everyone, let's get some sleep," Kinta said and everyone trotted up the stairs, heading to their own rooms.

***

The morning sun shone brightly through the curtains of Kagome's room and hit her full blast on the face. Her eyes snapped open and she shot out of bed, rubbing her eyes and forcing the sleep from her body.

_Strange. Why did I suddenly wake up? Because of the sun? No way. Great, and I was planning on sleeping in today. And why do I feel this strange feeling at the pit of my stomach?_ she wondered. It was then that she suddenly remembered. Stretching, she grabbed her towel and headed to the bathroom.

_That's right. Today is the day the messengers from the Chen Family will come to get Mom's answer_ she remembered. After her hot bath, she headed back to her room, her towel wrapped around her body and her hair still dripping. She changed into blue tank top and black shorts that stuck to her body like second skin. After completely drying her hair using her miko powers (Kagome knew she shouldn't do it, but its much more quicker this way). When she headed to the dining room, she found the rest of her family already there.

"Good morning everyone!" she said cheerfully. Everyone else greeted her in their own way.

"Good morning dear," YengLa greeted with a smile as she served her daughter breakfast.

"Did something happen?" Kagome asked innocently as she munched on her toast. Though it seemed like an ordinary question, everyone understood her meaning.

"Nothing dear. And please don't talk with your mouth full. It's unbecoming of a lady," her mother gently scolded. Kagome instantly swallowed her food and mumbled an apology, a slight blush on her face.

"Something like this is really unavoidable Mom," Goku said as he drank his favorite morning hot chocolate, "since I'm not sure if Kagome is **even** a girl. I mean, come on. The way she acts can't really be considered ladylike. You know sometimes I wonder if the hospital made a mistake and she's actually a b…"

**CRASH!!!**

The next thing Goku knew, he was lying on the ground, a red, hot slap mark on his face. Everyone sweat dropped as Kagome continued eating her breakfast, obviously annoyed.

"Anyway Mom, did the newspaper arrive yet? I wanted to see if Kikyo's article is there," Kagome asked, acting like nothing happened.

"Here you go Kagome," Kinta said, handing her the newspaper he was reading. Her daughter sure is scary when she's mad. _Just like her mother. Of all the thing's Kagome could inherit from my wife, why did it have to be her temper?_

Souta jumped down from his seat and took a closer look at his brother as Kagome leafed through the newspaper. He started poking.

"Hey Mom, Dad. Big Bro's not moving. And his face is really swollen. Should I get him an ice pack?" Souta asked. Before anyone could reply, they felt two powerful auras' enter the shrine grounds. In an instant, Kagome and Goku were outside, swords in hand. Good thing they kept weapons hidden around their shrine. They searched for the location of the intruders, but could find no one in sight. They contacted each other mentally.

Goku, where are they?

In the God Tree. But be careful not to damage it. Grandpa will have us on clean-up duty until were eighty.

Got it.

As they pretended to be looking around the area, Kagome and Goku came closer to the God Tree, but not too close, so the intruders won't suspect a thing. Suddenly, they threw shurikens directly a their enemy's location. Two hooded figures jumped out. They seemed surprised to be caught. Kagome and Goku looked at them coldly, sending out murderous auras.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Goku asked coldly. The intruder's didn't answer.

"If that's the case…" Kagome said. In a blink of an eye, the two of them disappeared and reappeared behind their enemies, swords against their throat.

"…Then we'll have to ask you to leave," Kagome whispered in her captives' ear.

"Goku, Kagome that's enough. Stand down," came a voice from behind them. Everyone turned and saw YengLa and Kinta standing by the doorway, Souta at his mother's side. Instantly, the two strangers fell to their knees and bowed to her.

"Lady YengLa, we bring you news from the Chen Royal Family" one of them said. YengLa nodded and indicated for them to come inside. Kagome and Goku followed last. Once inside, the two 'guests' took of their hoods and gratefully accepted the tea served to them. Kagome sat beside her mother along with Souta. Goku and Kinta remained standing. Their grandfather retreated to the main hall, saying he had no business with fighting.

Kagome observed the intruders more closely. One was taller than the other. The taller one had long maroon hair that reached his shoulder, a bit dark complexion, red eyes and a bit of an obnoxious look on his face. He was carrying a long, silver weapon with a crescent moon at the end. The other one had short brown hair, green eyes (though one of his eyes were covered by a single eye glass), kind expression on his face. Both of them were wearing matching black outfits with the Chen Family Crest on the left side. They both waited to be given permission to speak. YengLa nodded and the one with brown hair spoke.

"Lady YengLa, my name is Hakai and my partner is Gojo. Your father and mother, Lord Li and Lady MaeChu, the heads of the Chen Clan, has sent us to hear your reply regarding the Dark Tournament, which will be held in one year's time," he started.

"Lord Li and Lady MaeChu request that you come to China within one month for the preparations for the Dark Tournament, should you choose to agree," added the one called Gojo.

YengLa nodded. "Alright. Then, please tell my parents that I agree to come to China for the Dark Tournament," she paused, " but I will not fight. My son and daughter will fight in my place," she said formally. Hakai and Gojo looked at each other, surprised. This wasn't the answer they were expecting.

"But, my Lady. Your mother and father wants you to personally fight," Hakai said, doubt clearly shown in his voice.

"I assure you, they are more than capable of representing the Chen Clan in the Dark Tournament," YengLa said with finality in her voice.

Hakai and Gojo looked at each other again. Then they stood up. "Alright, Lady YengLa. If that is what you wish. Then we will see you in China in one month," Gojo said, and then he and his partner disappeared in a cloud of smoke. YengLa sighed and looked at her hands, wondering if she did the right thing. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Goku and Kagome looking at her with reassuring smiles on their faces.

"Don't worry Mom. You and Dad are great teachers. We'll be fine," Kagome said. YengLa nodded and smiled.

"We'd better get a move on. W have a long month ahead of us," she said.

***

It was a busy month for the Higurashi family. Kagome and Goku had no problems arranging everything that needed attention with regards to their jobs. Mr. Taisho understood that their trip to China was really unavoidable, but of course, he was very reluctant to lose two of his companies assets. So Kagome suggested a way that would suit all of them. Most of the month passed with the preparations for their trip, and of course, saying goodbye to friends.

"Kagome, I can't believe you're leaving for China!" Sango whined. They were sitting outside their favorite ice cream shop. It was the day before their departure, and Kagome and her brother wanted to hang out with their friends before they left.

"Hey, what is this?" Goku demanded, "I'm leaving to you know! I'd like someone to at least **show** they care!"

Everyone looked at him for a minute then turned back to Kagome.

"Kagome, isn't your departure a bit too sudden? What about your job?" Kikyo asked, completely ignoring Goku who was being held back by Miroku, Inuyasha and Keiji.

"Big Bro and I have already fixed things with Mr. Taisho. And this trip is really unavoidable. Besides, this is the first time were going to see our family in China," Kagome pointed out. By this time, Goku had calmed down and sat beside his twin.

"Were really going to miss you Kagome," Keiji said, "and of course, you Goku," he hastily added when Goku glared at him. This made the others laugh. Kagome turned her head slightly to look at her brother. They nodded at each other. Goku stood up so suddenly that all laughter ceased.

"All right guys! Enough moping! We came here to enjoy ourselves before we have to leave for China tomorrow, and that's what we're gong to do. So for the rest of the day, the only thing were going to do is have fun till we drop, or at least we get tired of watching Inuyahsa puke from eating," he declared. A loud round of laughter, and an angry outburst followed this from Inuyasha. Kagome followed her brother's lead.

"Big Bro's right. Were going to have fun today, right?" she asked loudly. Everyone stood up and shouted, **RIGHT!!!!"**

***

When Kagome and Goku got home that evening, it was to find their mother talking to a pouting Souta. They approached their father and asked him what the matter was.

"Souta doesn't want you two to leave because he knows you'll just get hurt," Kinta whispered. Kagome and Goku nodded and looked at each other, but didn't say anything. They knew it was better to let their mother talk to their youngest brother, and they were right. When they all sat down for dinner, Souta had a resigned, but determined smile on his face.

The next morning, the entire Higurashi family woke up early and headed to the airport for their flight. But to Goku and Kagome's surprise, all their friends were waiting for them already.

"What are you guys doing here?" Kagome asked happily as she and her twin ran over to them.

"Saying goodbye to you two, of course," Sango said as she hugged Kagome while Goku said goodbye to the guys, "And to give you two our farewell gift"

"Oh guys! Thank you so much! I'm really going to miss you. Promise me you won't forget to keep in touch," Kagome said.

"Of course! We'll e-mail you two everyday so you won't fell lonely!" Reiko promised. The others nodded. They all looked up when they heard the final call for their flight. After saying some last minute goodbyes to their friends and family, Kagome and Goku, along with their mother, boarded the plane and off they went to China.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Getting Acquainted**

Kagome sat quietly in her seat as the limousine took her and her family to the Chen Palace. She was really getting self-conscious by all the attention she was getting, and she knew her brother was feeling the same. After all, they weren't used to being waited on hand and foot.

Ever since they were picked up at the airport two hours ago, the attendants her grandparents sent have done everything to make them as comfortable as possible. They were constantly asking them if they needed anything, if they were too hot or too cold, if they wanted something to eat, it was endless!

Kagome really appreciates their concern, but it was really, **really**, getting annoying. She wanted to tell them off, but that would have been rude. She doesn't have the nerve to talk, so she has been communicating mentally with her brother.

Goku, are you still alive?

Just barely! This is so annoying! When are we going to get to the Palace anyway? I can't

take this anymore!

The worst part is, this is just the welcoming committee. Just imagine when we get to

the Palace.

Darn it! You're right. No wonder Mom wanted to live in Japan.

Speaking of Mom, how can she stand this?

It must be because she grew up experiencing this everyday.

They stopped their 'conversation' when the driver announced that they had arrived. Kagome and Goku got out, and their mouths dropped open by what they saw. The Chen Palace was a hundred times bigger than the Sunset Shrine, and the shrine itself it big enough. They felt someone closing their mouths for them, and heard their mother's laugh.

"Close your mouths you two. Otherwise you'll catch flies," YengLa said. Goku was the first to recover.

"Mom! Don't tell me this is the Chen Palace! This place is huge!" he exclaimed.

"Forget huge, this place is humongous!" Kagome added. YengLa laughed again.

"Don't worry dears. You'll get used to it. After all, we'll be living here for one year," she said. Kagome and Goku looked at the Palace again. It looked like one of the ancient buildings, but with a couple of modern touches to it. Two familiar people greeted them at the gates: Hakai and Gojo. They bowed.

"Lady YengLa, welcome. I hope you enjoyed your trip here," Aki greeted. YengLa nodded and they stood up.

_Hey, what are we? Invisible?_ Kagome and Goku thought at the same time. YengLa seemed to read their minds, and smiled gently at them.

"I'm sorry, but Lord Li and Lady MaeChu are unable to meet you right now. They send their apologies. But please, make yourselves comfortable," Gojo said. They led their three guests to their respective rooms.

***

_Ahhhh…. Now that's refreshing_ Kagome thought contentedly. She closed the bathroom door and headed to the bed (huge bed!) and sat down, drying her long hair. She looked outside the window and saw that it was nearly dark. Very tired by everything that happened lately, she decided to turn in early. She changed into her favorite sleeping clothes, a white tank top and black shorts.

Kagome was ready to drop from exhaustion. But before she went to sleep, she headed to the balcony to get some fresh air.

_This place is great, but it's way too big for me. I still prefer the Sunset Shrine_ she thought as she sat on the lip of the balcony. As she watched the flower petals fly in the wind, her thoughts strayed to other things.

_Grandpa Li and grandma MaeChu. I wonder how they'll react when they see brother and me. From what Dad tells me, they didn't really approve of Mom marrying him. That's why they moved to Japan in the first place. How will they act towards us?_ Kagome wondered with apprehension. She was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't notice someone watching her from the trees.

***

Itachi Uchiha stared as if hypnotized at the beautiful girl sitting on the balcony just below him. He had just escaped from another one of his father's lecture about the importance of winning the Dark Tournament. He's heard it so many times its practically drilled into his head. Like he needed it. He's got other important things to think about. Like the people who were supposed to arrive today.

_Form what the servants told me, it's supposed to be Lady YengLa. She's the Chen Clans strongest warrior. No one has been able to surpass her skills, even thought she left China twenty years ago_ he thought. He was brought out of his thoughts when he saw something from the corner of his eyes. He looked below him, and saw a beautiful girl with long raven hair and blue eyes sit on the lip of the balcony. He watched as she looked at the darkening sky, a deep, thoughtful look on her face. After a while, the cold seem to bring her from her thoughts and she went back inside the room.

Itachi's eyes narrowed and he sat back. _Who was that girl?_ He wondered _Our clan has been staying here for two months now and I've never seen her before. I'm sure she's not one of the servants. And besides, she looks like she has mixed blood._

It was really dark now, and he knew his father would be looking for him, no doubt to talk about more tactics about the tournament. He jumped from the tree he was hiding in and headed to his room, determining to find out more about that girl.

***

The next morning, the three most powerful and influential families of China gathered in a large room of the Chen Palace.

The first is the Chen Clan, headed by Lord Li and Lady MaeChu. They have a son, Kazu, who died many years ago, and YengLa, their only daughter and only remaining child.

The second one is the Uchiha Clan. Lord Kokoro and Lady Elisia head it. They have two sons. The older one is Itachi Uchiha, twenty years old and the youngest is Sasuke Uchiha, nineteen years old.

The third clan is the Hyuuga Clan; whose heads are Lord Roshi and Lady Kana. They have a twenty-year-old son named Neji and a nineteen-year-old daughter named Hinata.

Itachi and his friend named Riku are the Uchiha Clan's representative in the Dark Tournament while Neji and another warrior named Ruka are the Hyuuga Clan's representative. The three clans gathered together were there to discuss further happenings for the Dark Tournament, such as 1parties, balls and other things. And also, so they could meet the Chen Clan's representative for the tournament.

The meeting hall was buzzing with conversation when the large doors opened. All noise stopped and everyone saw three people walk in and head straight to where Lord Li and Lady MaeChu were standing. They bowed. In the crowd, Itachi's eyes slightly widened as he looked at one of them. _Hey, that's…_he thought. One of them spoke.

"My Lord, greetings to you and to the Lords and Ladies of the Uchiha and Hyuuga Clan. May I present to you my son, Goku and my daughter, Kagome. They will represent the Chen Clan in the Dark Tournament," YengLa spoke in a clear, loud voice. On hearing their names, Goku and Kagome bowed respectfully to their grandparents, as their mother told them to do. They heard the mutterings that started again after their mother spoke.

"They will compete…"

"Can they handle it?"

"They don't look much…"

"I'm mot sure Lady YengLa made a wise decision…"

"I thought Lady YengLa was supposed to fight…"

"Has anyone seen them fight?"

Lord Li called everyone to order and instructed everyone but the heads of the clans to leave the hall. Kagome and her family were about to follow, but someone called out to their mother.

"Lady YengLa, please remain. We would like to talk o you," Lord Kokoro said. At this, Kagome and Goku looked at each other. They could tell that their mother is not comfortable about this. Goku was about to say something when YengLa spoke.

"Goku dear, Kagome dear, please wait outside. We'll be done soon," she said with a smile. They were surprised, but didn't dare disobey their mother.

"Of course Mom," Goku said and they bowed to her before leaving the room. The servants were the last to leave the room, and the great doors were shut on them. The mutterings started again, everyone looking at the two new arrivals. Kagome and her brother tried their best to ignore the rather rude attention they were getting as they talked together, but it proved increasingly difficult as the minutes passed.

***

Kagome couldn't help but be a bit nervous as she talked with her brother about trivial things. She kept looking at the people around them, talking as if they couldn't be heard, looking away when Kagome caught their eye. Goku knew his sister wasn't used to this kind of attention, so he decided on taking her somewhere else.

"Hey sis, let's get out of here. I know somewhere were we can go," Goku whispered.

Kagome nodded with relief. "Let's go," she agreed and the two of them went off, glad to be getting away. Both of them **almost** (note the word 'almost') shouted in relief upon reaching a large and beautiful garden.

"Finally! I was starting to feel like a T.V. show from all the stares I was getting," Kagome said as she sat down and plucked a lily flower, one of her favorites. Goku went over to the nearest, sturdiest tree around and jumped on one of its branches before answering his sister.

"Yeah, but still we should be used to this. It's like this at school everyday. Even sometimes at work. But we really didn't notice I a lot since we were always busy with something," he replied.

Kagome nodded and looked at the bright blue sky, fully aware that someone was watching them, and her brother knew it too. But a silent agreement between the two of them existed, and they ignored it.

"Hey bro, you shouldn't sit there. Your clothes might get dirty," Kagome scolded lightly. Goku, on the verge of taking a nap, snapped to attention and looked at his clothes, which consisted of black pants and boots, white shirt and a white overcoat. On his right ear is a silver fanged earring and his favorite golden headband around his head.

"Damn," he muttered. He took of his coat and threw it at Kagome, who caught it and folded it neatly. She was wearing the same type of clothes, except instead of pants and shirt, she was wearing a black dress, reaching her thighs and white shoes and a white overcoat.

"Hey bro, how do you think Mom is doing?" Kagome asked.

Goku opened his eyes and looked down at her. "She's fine. Remember, this is Mom were talking about. It's true it's been years since she's fought in the Dark Tournament, but that doesn't mean she's grown weaker. She still practices her skills on a daily basis after all. And she is one of our mentors," he reassured her. Before Kagome could reply, a noise was heard behind them. They turned and saw a girl wearing a white 2dress standing there. Goku jumped from the three and Kagome stood up. The girl moved to hide behind the bushes, but stopped. She looked at the ground, a light blush on her face. Kagome and Goku looked at each other, eyebrows raised.

"Hello there!" Kagome started cheerfully. The girl's blush deepened.

"Um…I'm sorry if I disturbed you, but…um…lunch is ready and everyone else is already going back inside the hall," the girl stuttered. It was obvious that she was really very shy. She reminded them of Reiko.

"Great! Thanks a lot for telling us. By the way, my name is Kagome and this is my twin Goku. What's your name?" Kagome introduced s they walked over to the girl.

"My name is Hinata Hyuuga," the girl now known as Hinata introduced herself.

"It's nice to meet you Hinata. Do you want to walk back with us?" Goku asked. Hinata looked surprised by being asked, but nodded. So the three of them headed to a completely different room than before, talking animatedly with each other. At least Kagome and Hinata were. Goku didn't really like the topic. It was 'much too girly for him', as he described it.

YengLa smiled gently when she saw her two children talking with the daughter of Lord Hyuuga. She knew it was only a matter of time before they made friends, but this was much earlier than she expected. The inhabitants of the room seemed surprised at what they were seeing.

Before Kagome and Goku left to join their mother, they invited Hinata to go with them tomorrow.

"Goku and I wanted to go sight-seeing tomorrow, since this is our first time in China. We would love it if you came with us. You can bring your brother, if he wants to go, that is," Kagome invited.

"Sure," Hinata muttered softly, but gladly.

Kagome's face lit up. "Great! Then we'll see you tomorrow morning at the garden. Later Hinata!" Kagome said. She gave Hinata a light hug, and then walked off with her brother to their smiling mother. Hinata stood for a few seconds watching them, then joined her family.

"Hinata, what was that?" her father demanded. Hinata didn't need to ask what he meant.

"Nothing father. They were just being nice," Hinata said truthfully. Her father grunted and said no more. Neji took this opportunity to speak with his sister.

"Hinata, are you alright? Did they hurt you?" he whispered. Hinata shook her head at once.

"No. I just made some friends," Hinata replied softly, a happy smile on her face.

&&&

1 Even though the Dark Tournament began 400 years ago, people not belonging to any of the three clans know nothing of it. So when the three most powerful families of China gather together, they must show other people something else aside from the fighting. Hey, they're kind of celebrities there after all.

2 Sorry, I don't know what Chinese clothes are called.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: A late night together**

Two months have now passed since Kagome and Goku arrived in China. It became their habit to call their family in Japan twice a week, and it became their friends' habit to send them an e-mail everyday, just to keep them updated on everything that has been happening while they were away. They are still working for Mr. Taisho, even though their grandparents strongly disagreed. They protested that someone from the Royal Chen Clan shouldn't have to work like they do, and blamed their father for allowing it. It hurt Kagome and Goku to hear their grandparents talk about their father so scornfully, but didn't say a thing, afraid to make things worse.

Hinata ha become a very good friend of Kagome and Goku, and so has Neji, since he is Hinata's brother. They have even managed to become friends with Sasuke and Itachi (well, they became friends with Sasuke first, Itachi just got dragged into the acquaintance, or so he says). Sasuke has grown to like Kagome, but more of a sisterly kind, and that's why he's gotten a lot closer to her. But for Itachi and Neji however, that's another matter. Each knows that the other likes Kagome, and their attachment to her has (unconsciously) developed into a contest for her affections. Even Riku and Ruka have joined their circle of friends.

"It was strange" was what people mostly said whenever they saw the group together. In all the former tournaments, the warriors of each clan would treat each other with the utmost hatred and couldn't even stand the thought of getting along with each other, let alone being friends with each other. But everything changed when Kagome and Goku arrived. Everyone else thought (and with good reason) that those two are the reason for the odd friendship that has now formed between the three clans (at least the fighters of the three clans).

One day, Kagome and Goku were told that they were going to visit the Chen Clan's Company. Of course, Kagome instantly invited Hinata and Sasuke, who of course invited their brother's to come. Goku invited Riku and Ruka to come as well, but they declined.

While Lord Li took care of some business, the group took a tour of the company. It neared lunch, and everyone was getting hungry, so Goku suggested that they get some lunch at a Japanese restaurant. Everyone agreed, and off they trouped, leaving Lord Li to his business meeting. They were about to leave the building when Kagome and Goku heard a familiar voice.

"Well, well, well. I'd never thought I'd see the two of you here Kagome, Goku," came a very familiar, amuse voice. Both of them turned around and smiled happily when they saw who spoke.

"Mr. Taisho!" they exclaimed happily, and ran over to the man whom they treated like family and who treated them the same. He laughed as Kagome hugged him and shook hands with Goku. The rest of their friends came over curiously.

"What are you doing here Sugini?" Kagome asked happily, finally letting go, not noticing her grandfather coming out of an elevator. Before Sugini could reply, Li spoke sternly.

"Kagome, where are your manners? Don't treat Mr. Taisho as such," he reprimanded as he walked over to them. Sugini waved it off.

"Oh, don't get mad at her Li. Besides, I'm used to it, so it's fine. Kagome and Goku have always called me by my given name. After all, I am the one who insisted on it," Sugini defended them. Li looked at him, puzzled. Kagome decided to explain.

"Grandfather, Sugini is the father of one of our dearest friends in Japan. And he's also our employer. Oh, by the way Sugini," Kagome added, motioning to Hinata and the others, "these are our friends. That's Hinata, her brother Neji, Sasuke and his brother Itachi," she introduced. Each shook hands with Sugini as their names were called.

"Mr. Taisho," Li spoke before he could be interrupted, " I did not know that my grandchildren worked for you"

"Oh, yes. I didn't mention it, did I? Well, I'm sorry. You see, its also because I didn't know they were your grandchildren, until now that is, so I saw no reason to mention it. But you have heard of them," Sugini added cheerfully.

Li arched his eyebrows. "I'm sure I would have remembered if I had," he said.

"Yes, you have," Sugini insisted, still smiling, "Why, I mentioned them to you just one hour ago, during our meeting." At Li's still confused look, Sugini decided to be more specific.

"Those plan I showed you? They're Kagome's. And those machinery designs? Goku was the one who made them. They were the exceptional employees I was telling you about. Why, they passed those works o me just last week, before my departure," he explained. Li looked at him, clearly surprised, then at his grandchildren, who were not listening to a word of their conversation and was talking to their friends.

_Those plans were very impressive_ Li thought. Goku's voice broke through his thoughts.

"Grandfather, Sugini, would you like to join us? We were just about to have lunch," Goku invited. They agreed.

"Yes, but please, can we just wait a few more minutes? That son of mine is sure taking his time," Sugini said. Kagome and Goku looked at each other. Son? Suddenly, it occurred to them.

"Sugini, is Sesshoumaru here with you?" Goku asked.

Sugini looked at them, puzzled. "Sesshoumaru? Why would you say that?" he asked.

"It's just that he's supposed to run the company after you, right? And Inuyasha said that he'll be coming back to Japan," Kagome explained. Sugini laughed.

"Oh, that's why. Well no, Sesshoumaru is still in America. I was actually referring to my **other **son," he said with a wink. Kagome and Goku smirked.

"You mean…?"

At that moment, Inuyasha came out of one of the elevators.

"Hey Dad, sorry I'm…" before he could finish, he was assaulted by two figures.

"Inuyasha! It's really great to see you!" Kagome said happily, her arms around his neck in a chokehold embrace.

"Kagome! What the…?" Inuyasha exclaimed. But before he could release himself, Goku forced him into a headlock and started ruining his hair.

"What the heck are **you** doing here, Mutt-Face? I'm surprised your dad even brought you. I mean, I can understand if he brought Sesshoumaru, but why you? Don't tell me that he's teaching you how to run the company? It'll fall apart if you run it!" he sneered.

Inuyasha finally got himself free and was currently giving Goku his payback of headlock. "No, Monkey-Face. I didn't come here with Dad. I went here with 1Genesis. I just wanted to keep Dad company while the others rested in the hotel," he smirked. Kagome and Sugini were the only ones watching the scene with amusement, while the others looked on, thinking if those two wanted to hurt themselves. Itachi and Neji, however, glared at Inuyasha coldly. If only looks could kill, Inuyasha would have died twice now.

_How dare that guy hug Kagome?_ They both thought protectively. (Well, technically, Kagome was the one who hugged him. But, of course, now that they see Inuyasha as an enemy for Kagome's affections, they have to blame him).

Kagome and Goku's eyes brightened at the mention of the word Genesis. They looked at each other, and then smirked at Inuyasha.

"You mean…?"

Inuyasha smirked at them. "Yup," he said simply.

"Awesome!" the twins exclaimed, giving each other high fives. The rest of their group looked on, puzzled; only Sugini seemed to follow their conversation. He noticed this and cleared his throat.

"Why don't we go somewhere were we can eat and talk?" he suggested. Everyone agreed. Kagome walked with Inuyasha, talking about everything she wanted to know about what's happening in Japan, Itachi and Neji walked behind them, glaring daggers at the back of Inuyasha's head, Goku walked with Hinata and Sasuke while Sugini and Li talked business with each other.

They reached a very popular Japanese restaurant and entered. They were taken to a big table and quickly given the menu. A few minutes of silence ensued while they all scanned the menu, looking for something they wanted (though Itachi and Neji aren't having much progress on theirs, since they're too busy glaring at Inuyasha). A waiter came by to take their orders.

"Good day Kagome-sama, Goku-sama. Its nice to see you again," the waiter greeted. Kagome smiled brightly at him.

"Good day to you Kiritsugu. You know you don't have to be so formal with me and brother," she greeted. The man named 2Kiritsugu chuckled.

"I know, but I have to, it's my job. Otherwise, the boss will fire me. So what can I get you?" he asked. Kagome chuckled and gave her order, the rest following her lead. When Kiritsugu walked away, Li turned to Kagome for an explanation, but it was Goku who answered.

"That was Kiritsugu, grandfather. He's our regular waiter. My sister and I come here so often that everyone who works here already knows who we are. We've asked them not to act so formally with us because we don't want to draw attention to ourselves," he explained. Li glanced at him while he talked, then turned his attention back to Kagome for a moment before turning to talk with Sugini about business.

Kagome silently drew blew out a relieved sigh. She turned to look at her brother thankfully. He winked at her and returned to talking to Hinata and Sasuke. Kagome turned to a smirking Inuyasha.

"What?"

Inuyasha continued smirking. Kagome started to feel really nervous. _God, I really, __**really**__, hope Inuyasha is not up to something_ she thought nervously.

"What?" Kagome repeated. Finally, to Kagome's great relief, he finally spoke.

"Nice to see you getting along with everyone," he said in a whisper. Kagome didn't need to ask what he meant.

"So is it like this every time?" he continued, still whispering, as another waiter arranged their orders for them.

Kagome nodded. She didn't notice the cold glares Neji was giving them, and how Itachi's pupil's have turned slightly red, because she moved closer to Inuyasha so they couldn't be heard. But Inuyasha did. That's why he's been taking advantage of the situation to make them mad. From what Kagome and Goku have been telling them through the e-mails and video chats they've been having, Neji and Itachi are a bit like his older half-brother. Meaning two other ice-blocks. That's why he wants to know how much he could make them mad, and if they would actually lose their temper.

"Let's talk later, all right?" Kagome said with a small smile. Inuyasha looked at her, and nodded. He knew that when she said that, she meant she wanted to talk to the entire Genesis.

"Sure," Inuyasha replied, putting his arm around Kagome's neck to give her a brotherly hug. Neji and Itachi nearly attacked him, but thankfully restrained themselves. Goku saw the murderous look in their eyes, and decided enough was enough. If he didn't do something soon, the lunch would probably end in bloodshed. He kicked Inuyasha from under the table. Inuyasha smirked and turned to him.

"What?" he mouthed.

"Don't," Goku said in a whisper, "We'll talk about it later"

"Hey Dad, I'm really sorry to interrupt your conversation with Mr. Chen, but we still have another appointment," Inuyasha reminded his father in a very polite voice, something he's learned from years of attending social gatherings with his parents.

"Ah, of course. Thank you for reminding me Inuyasha. Well Mr. Chen," Sugini said, turning to his business associate, "please forgive me, but we must get going. We have another appointment that we really can't avoid."

"That's alright Mr. Taisho," Li said, standing up and shaking hands with him, "I understand completely. We must get going as well anyway," he added, motioning to Kagome and the others.

Everyone got the hint, and stood up. Outside the restaurant, they all said their farewells.

"See you later Inuyasha. Next time, bring Genesis with you, all right?" Kagome said as she gave him a farewell hug. Itachi and Neji's eyes narrowed in anger.

"No problem," Inuyasha replied. He noticed the glare Itachi and Neji were giving him. Wishing to annoy them more, he hugged Kagome tightly in return. They were glad when they finally left.

When they reached the Chen Palace, Kagome instantly went in search of her mother to tell her about the surprising news. She found her sitting in the library. YengLa looked up as Kagome bowed to her.

"Kagome dear, welcome back. Did you and Goku enjoy yourselves today?" she asked as Kagome approached her.

"Yeah Mom, we had a great time! You'll never guess whom we ran into today at grandfather's company," she started. YengLa looked at her daughter questioningly.

"Sugini and Inuyasha! And not only that, Genesis is with them as well," Kagome explained happily. YengLa smiled brightly. This was certainly welcome news.

"That's wonderful Kagome! I'm sure you and Goku must be excited. How are they?" she asked. They spent some time talking about the afternoon that passed, a plan already forming in YengLa's mind.

"Oh, Kagome. I just remembered. There will be an official training next week for all the fighters in the tournament. I want you and Goku to be prepared," YengLa added.

Kagome nodded and stood up. "All right Mom. I'll go and tell big brother so we can start training as soon as possible," she said and paid her respects to her mother before leaving the room. Knowing it would be pointless (and exhausting) to look for her brother by herself, considering the size of the Palace, Kagome searched for him using her miko powers. She found him in his bedroom and instantly went there, smiling as she passed some servants, who bowed on her approach. She knocked and entered the room.

"Hey 'Gomes, what's up?" Goku asked as he sat up in his bed. Sat down on the bed before answering her brother.

"Mom says there's going to be an official training next week and she wants us prepared. Every fighters have to be there," she explained.

"Probably so all the clan can see how powerful the others are. It's going to be both an advantage and a disadvantage," Goku guessed.

"We'd better start training tomorrow. We don't' want them to think that the Chen representatives are weak," he added as a joke. No answer came. Goku turned to see his sister looking outside the window with a far-away look on her face. He became slightly worried.

"Sis, what's wrong?" he asked, walking towards her.

Kagome was silent for a few minutes before answering. "Goku-niisan…" she started in a whisper, and Goku knew something is really, really bothering her. He hasn't heard her call him that in years.

"…Do you realize that everyone here still underestimates us? It's not only that Hyuuga Clan and Uchiha Clan, but also our own. Mom is really the only one who believes in us. Even Grandpa Li and Grandma MaeChu have their doubts in our abilities. They don't show it, but it's obvious in their eyes. I can see it," she said softly.

Goku didn't answer. He knew what she said was right. He could feel it as well, as clear as the wind. It wasn't too long ago when he heard something that confirmed his doubts.

***Flashback***

Goku was walking along the large corridors, escaping Kagome's wrath. She just caught him using her cell phone again, and she was pissed to high heaven. He just remained long enough to end the call before leaving through the open window of her room. Her threats to kill him were still ringing in his ears.

_Man, my sister sure could be scary when she's mad. Lucky I got away before she could get her hands on me_ he thought triumphantly. He heard a noise from a room near him, making him stop. Usually, that would not have aroused his curiosity, but they mentioned him and Kagome. He hid his aura and listened.

"What do you think will happen in the dark tournament?"

"I'm not sure if our clan will win this time. Not with Prince Goku and Princess Kagome fighting for us. Do you realize that no one has seen them fight? I've asked around, and everyone that I asked has told me that their chi's are really low"

"Really? That's bad for us. Why would Lady YengLa allow someone so weak to represent our clan?"

Goku didn't hear the reply. He suddenly took off, to angry to hear more.

***End of Flashback***

"Goku-niisan?"

Kagome's voice brought him out of his thoughts. Goku started and smiled at her.

"Do you think Dad knows yet?" Kagome asked.

"I don't know. I'll call him later to tell him," he hesitated. "Kagome, you do know that the honor of the Chen Clan is not the only thing were fighting for, right?" he added.

Kagome nodded. I know. This is for Dad and jii-chan as well," she said. Goku nodded and Kagome stood up.

"I'm going to go to bed early. I'm tired. Do you want me to send some food for you? You must be hungry," Kagome said.

"No thanks. I'll do it myself later. Have a good night sis," Goku said, kissing her on the forehead.

"Goodnight," Kagome greeted back and headed to her own room. She took a long, hot bath, thinking about their situation. It was already dark when Kagome emerged from the bathroom, fully dressed (if you can call a tank top and shorts fully dressed) for a night's sleep.

She looked at the clock and sighed. It was really late. _So much for going to bed early. I've been soaking in the tub for nearly two hours_ she thought. Placing herself under the covers, Kagome closed her eyes and prepared for a good sleep. But no matter how hard she tried; she just couldn't seem to sleep. She looked up at the ceiling, and then suddenly sat up in irritation. She groaned.

"Why can't I get to sleep? Darn it! I have to rest for tomorrow!" she muttered angrily under her breath. Giving up, she got up and went over to the balcony and threw open the doors, the night wind rushing to her face. Shivering, she grabbed an overcoat hanging on the nearest chair and sat on the lip of the balcony.

_When Goku and I were little kids, Papa used to take us outside on the roof every night to watch the moon and the stars. He even made up his own constellations. He'd always boast that he would have been the most famous astronomer in the world, but decided to settle down when he met Mom. We never believed him, but we still had lots of fun. When Souta was born, we'd still go with them to the roof with Dad and listen to his stories, even though Goku and I have heard it a hundred times_ Kagome recalled.

She suddenly realized just how much she missed her family in Japan. Unbidden tears came to her eyes as she recalled the happy memories they had. She knew her grandparents here cared about her a lot, but sometimes, it seems to end with that.

_Here in China, the top priority is upholding the family name and honor. They wouldn't care even if their own children were killed in the Dark Tournament, as long as they win. If Papa were here, he would never have allowed any of this. I have no doubt that he would have gone against the entire Chen Clan, just to make sure that we didn't have to compete. He would care more for our safety and happiness than the family honor_ Kagome thought sadly.

She sighed and buried her head in her arms, thinking about her much missed family back home.

***

Just below her balcony, Itachi watched as Kagome continued to gaze at the stars, signs of tears clear on the corners of her eyes.

_Why is she crying? What is making her so sad?_ he wondered. Only a few minutes ago, he came out to the garden in order to clear his thoughts. As luck would have it, the person he was trying to clear from his mind was sitting just above him, wearing a white tank top and black shorts, along with a white overcoat.

As Kagome gazed at the moon, Itachi noted how the lights emitted by the moon made her look like ethereal, like a goddess somehow. Seeing that the tears had stared to flow, Itachi suddenly had the urge to go to her, but sensed she wanted to be left alone. Respecting her wishes, he turned to leave. He turned back when he heard a noise above him and his eyes widened when he saw Kagome jump from the balcony, heading in the direction of the 3forest. Slightly surprised at her actions, Itachi silently followed, using all of the skills he acquired through years of rigorous training.

Itachi was surprised at how easily Kagome navigated her way along the dark. It's like she's not even touching the trees, and the speed is not normal. Though Itachi really shouldn't be surprised, considering she is a fighter in the Dark Tournament.

_This will do. I think I'm far enough_ Kagome thought as she settled on a large and old tree. Closing her eyes, she felt herself finally starting to relax.

_Finally. If only hot springs were common here, I would really be relaxed. Dad said that about 500 years ago, hot spring were all over the place in Japan. I wish it were still like that today_ Kagome thought as she slowly, drifted off to slumber land.

***

Itachi watched in slight annoyance as Kagome slept.

_Foolish girl. Does she want to get sick?_ he thought as he went over to her. Just as he thought, the over coat she was wearing wasn't enough to keep her warm. She started to shiver. Itachi sighed slightly.

Placing Kagome in his arms, he prepared to take her back to the palace. He looked at her in surprise. Somehow, her arms have found themselves around his neck, pulling herself closer to the source of sudden warmth. They stayed like that for a while, Itachi cradling Kagome as she slept with her arms around him. Finally, Itachi decided to take Kagome back before anyone notices that they're gone. In a matter of moments, Itachi reached Kagome's balcony and had replaced her in her bed. Before leaving, he gave her a light kiss on the lips. With one last look, he left fro his own room.

***

The next morning, everyone was eating breakfast in silence. Though the tension is always around whenever the three clans are together, the tension in the air is much thicker today, especially on the Uchiha table. Everyone hardly looked up as Kagome and her family entered the room, though Kagome did wave happily to Hinata. If she was wondering how she got back to her room last night, Kagome didn't show it as she talked with her mother.

The fighters all rose to go to the dojo, like they usually do everyday, when Kagome approached Itachi while her brother went ahead.

"Hey Itachi, good morning!" Kagome greeted cheerfully. Itachi nodded his head slightly in acknowledgement.

"Can I please talk to you, in private?" Kagome continued. Itachi looked slightly surprised, but agreed. He followed her to the gardens, ignoring his father's warning look and triumphing in Neji's jealous aura. Once there, Kagome turned to Itachi with a light blush on her face. To Itachi's surprise, Kagome bowed to him.

"I want to thank you Itachi for taking me back to my room last night. If you hadn't done that, Goku and Mom would have been really worried about me, and I really don't want to upset them. So thanks again," Kagome said.

Itachi looked at her for a while, then, quite suddenly he took her right hand. He ignored her look of surprise and kissed it gently. Kagome's blush deepened.

"It's no problem at all, Kagome," Itachi replied. Kagome took back her hand and hid it behind her back, wishing she could hide her face as well.

"Um right. Well anyway, thanks again Itachi," Kagome said, and quickly and turned and ran in the direction of the dojo, hoping against all hope that her brother wouldn't notice her embarrassment.

&&&

1 Genesis is the name of Kagome's group. I decided to think of a name for them since it would be such a bother to type their names one by one. 'Genesis' was the first word that came to my mind, and I liked it, so it got stuck.

2 I didn't describe him since he's not a major character in my story.

3 The Chen Palace has its own miniature forest. It's smaller compared to a real one, but still big.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: The Ball and the Surprise**

Everyone in the dojo was still talking about the just ended training session for the fighters of the Dark Tournament, and they were impressed. I mean, really impressed. I mean, really, really, **really impressed** with the Chen Clans fighters. Kagome and Goku showed techniques that even the heads of the three clans couldn't do, and the aura they were giving off while they fought was so powerful even normal humans could see it, though faintly. And the most amazing part was during the middle of their fight; both of them summoned creatures…**out of midair!!**

The creature Kagome summoned was a white fire-cat demon with two tails (sounds familiar?) called Kilala while Goku's is a black and blue water-cat demon. The fight ended with a draw, but mostly it was because Lady YengLa told them to stop.

"Did you know that they were that good?"

"That was amazing…"

"Those creatures, what are they?"

"Suddenly, I'm not certain of our clan's success this year…"

The mutterings continued to grow, and some of them have stopped being inconspicuous. They were actually looking boldly at Kagome and Goku while they rested with their mother, petting their creatures, which were lying contently by the side of each of their masters, tails wagging from time to time.

Li tried not to look too confident as he talked with the other Lords and their wives, but it couldn't help being shown as they recalled the fight they had just witnessed.

"Mom, how did we do?" Kagome asked, not aware that a private battle of wills was now occurring with the heads of the clans.

"The two of you were great. I couldn't be prouder of you, and if your father were here, I'm sure he'd say the same thing. Now, there's really nothing left for us to teach you," YengLa praised. Kagome and Goku smiled happily.

"Thanks a lot Mom!" they said in unison. They gave off a huge sigh of relief when their grandfather announced that the training session was over. YengLa laughed at their expressions.

"All right, you two. I want you to get yourselves cleaned, and then meet me in the guest room. I want to show you something," YengLa said, and then left. Kagome looked at her brother in confusion.

"Do you have any idea what Mom wants to show us?" she asked as they walked to their rooms together. Goku shrugged.

"Beats me. It must be something important, I think," he replied. Both of them separated to clean themselves then met up again to go to the guest room together. They knocked on the door.

"Come in," came their mother's voice. Goku opened the door and they entered. What they saw next saw next was so completely unexpected that they completely forgot to pay their respects to their mother.

"Well, what are you two doing? You're not just going to stand there with your mouths open, are you? You'll catch flies," Inuyasha smirked. Kagome and her brother looked at each other, and then back at the scene in front of them. There, sitting with their mother drinking tea, was the entire **Genesis!!!** And all of them had a smirk plastered on their faces. Even Reiko couldn't help giggling at their reactions.

At long last, Kagome and Goku snapped back to reality (finally!!!) and their faces broke into happy smiles.

"What the hack are you guys doing here?" Goku asked as he greeted Inuyasha, Miroku, and Keiji while Kagome had a teary talk with Kikyo, Sango and Reiko.

"Duh! We came to visit you two. Didn't we tell you that we'd find a way to visit you guys?" Keiji said.

Goku laughed. "Yeah, but we never expected this. You guys must really miss us!" he said.

Inuyasha scoffed. "Yeah right. Kagome's the only one we missed. We came to see her, not you," he said.

"Hey!" Goku exclaimed. They laughed.

"Hey, you guys sure surprised us, suddenly coming here!" they heard Kagome say. The boys turned and saw that the girls had turned towards them now.

"We've been here for a while. Inuyasha told us that he ran into you at your grandfather's company right?" Kikyo said.

"Yeah, but since we haven't heard from him since then, we thought that you guys had already gone back to 1Japan," Kagome replied.

Sango giggled. "Well, we can't really do that, for two reasons. If you want to know the first one, just ask your Mom," she said. Kagome and Goku turned to their mother in surprise.

"Mom?" they asked. YengLa laughed.

"Kagome, when you told me that Genesis was here in China, I already made plans to invite them here. I know how much you two must miss your friends. And don't worry, I already explained this to their parents, so they can stay here for a while longer," she explained. Kagome hugged her mother in delight.

"Mom, you truly are the best! Thanks a lot. This really means a lot to us!" she said happily. Goku soon followed his twin's lead, and joined them in a bone-crushing family hug.

"Hey, that looks really nice! I want to do it too!" Sango said, and did just that. The rest soon followed, laughing and stumbling to retain their balance. But the moment Miroku joined the group, he was thrown out.

"Hey what's the big idea?" Miroku whined.

"There is no way in hell were going to let you join! You'll just take the opportunity to be your perverted self again!" Goku snapped. A chorus of agreement followed this from the rest of Genesis.

"But that's not fair! Come on! I want to hug Mrs. H. too!" Miroku whined as he looked for an opportunity to join the group, but was always pushed away. So they spent the rest of the afternoon preventing Miroku from getting a single hug, laughing loudly all the while.

***

"Good morning to you, Kagome, Goku," Hinata greeted shyly from behind her brother. Neji did the same, though a lot more composed.

"Good morning as well, Hinata, Neji!" Kagome greeted cheerfully, as usual. Goku just nodded his head in greeting.

"Are you guys headed to the dojo?" Kagome asked. At Hinata's nod, she continued, "Then, let's go together!"

"The other day was really fun, wasn't it big bro?" Kagome started cheerfully. Goku nodded.

"Yeah, Inuyasha and the others were really cool to come all the way here to China, weren't they?" he replied. The name 'Inuyasha' caught Neji's attention.

_Inuyasha? That was the name of the guy Kagome was hugging when we went to Lord Li's company!_ he realized.

"But we never got to find out what was their second reason for coming here!" Kagome whined. Goku sweat dropped at the back of his head.

_She's still on about that?_ he thought.

"Come on, sis. Sango said that they'd tell us after the Tournament, remember?" he reminded her. Kagome turned to him with her 'puppy-pout face'.

"But it's killing me!!! I want to know what the reason is!!" she whined. Goku sighed.

"Uhm…Kagome?" Hinata started uncertainly. Kagome turned and smiled.

"Oh, sorry, we got caught up in our conversation. What is it Hinata?" she asked.

"That person you mentioned was…" Hinata inquired.

"Oh yeah! You guys have met Inuyasha before right? Well, Inuyasha is a part of our group called Genesis. There are eight of us, in all. The first one is Inuyasha, then his girlfriend Kikyo, Sango and her boyfriend Miroku, Reiko and her boyfriend Keiji, then me and big brother," Kagome counted off her finger.

"Oh, I see," Hinata said. The rest of them didn't notice the relieved look that suddenly came over Neji's face.

_I see…so that guy has a girlfriend already. So that hug meant nothing_ he thought.

And so with a much more better attitude Neji trained along with the other fighters that day. But his good feeling didn't last long as all the fighters continued to train, day after day after day. The tension for the Dark Tournament seems to be rising, and of course, all the pressure is dropped on the fighters. Not only that, but the constant balls and party's held are another thing to worry about. Keeping up their faces in front of the world is very important as well, as Kagome and Goku learned from their very first ball.

***

"Hey Kags! Good morning!" Goku greeted cheerfully. Kagome looked at her twin uncertainly. He's never this perky on mornings, or any other time of the day, for that matter. Being hyper and perky is Kagome's thing, so seeing her brother suddenly like this is kind of creeping her out.

"Uh… good morning as well to you…big bro…" she replied lamely, the book she was reading lay forgotten at her lap. She continued to stare as her brother sat down in front of her and looked at her with a small smile on his face.

Kagome drank hr tea nervously. _Why is he looking at me like that?_ she wondered. She decided to ignore her brother's strange behavior, and continued to read her book.

_He probably ate something he shouldn't have again. He'll go back to normal soon, if that's the case_ she reasoned. But as the minutes passed, her plan of ignoring her brother was slowly crashing down around her. His constant staring is starting to irritate Kagome, and it was only after ten minutes that she realized she hasn't taken in a single word of the page she was reading ever since her brother sat down in front of her!

Taking a silent deep breath, Kagome forced herself to calm down. No doubt, her brother did something stupid again, and if that's the case, Kagome doesn't want to start beating him up until she hears the whole story. And besides, Itachi and the other fighters (plus Sasuke and Hinata) had come in a few minutes ago; she really doesn't want to start a scene.

"Is there something you wanted, big bro?" she asked. Goku said nothing. Instead, he continued to stare at her, his face still set in a smile that really makes Kagome more nervous by the second.

"All right. Goku, if there's something you want, can you please just say it and go back to normal? 'Cause that freaky smile on your face is really starting to creep me out," Kagome said.

"Alright. Mom told me to tell you that another ball is going to be held, and this will be the last one before the Dark Tournament…" Goku started.

"Yeah…Okay…"

"…And when I heard about it, I suddenly thought of something. In all the past party's that was held, you never stayed longer than two hours, did you?"

"No…"

"Well, I told Mom a plan of mine and she agreed with me…"

"Right… So what is your plan?"

Goku's grin became wider. "Well, this time, Mom wants you to finish the ball. Up until the very end. So you'll be spending the whole night at that party," he finished. Kagome stared at him for a few seconds, his words floating around in her mind. When she finally, realized what her brother had done, her look suddenly became dark and menacing.

***

Itachi and the others turned in surprise when they heard a loud noise right in the room they were in. They all saw Goku lying on the floor, clearly unconscious, while Kagome stood over him with a dark look on her face. Her hands were shaking in anger, and she was clearly restraining herself from further hurting her twin.

"Uh, Kagome? What…?" Riku started, but was interrupted when a voice came from the doorway.

"Jeesh, that Goku is such an idiot. Making Kagome mad this early," came a woman's voice. Everyone in the room turned and saw a group of people about their ages standing by the doorway. Kagome instantly smiled and went over to them.

"Guys! I'm so glad that you're finally here!" she exclaimed, hugging each of them in turn. She suddenly remembered who else were in the room, and she turned to the others.

"Right, you guys still don't know each other," she said. Turning to Genesis, she introduced the DT Fighters.

"Guys, this is Itachi, his brother Sasuke, Riku, Ruka, Hinata, and her brother Neji. They're the sons and daughter of the Lords of the Hyuuga and Uchiha Clan, and also fighters in the Dark Tournament," she introduced. Each of them nodded slightly as they're names were called. Kagome turned to them now, her twin lying forgotten on the floor.

"These are my friends from Japan. This one is Inuyasha, Kikyo, Sango, Miroku, Keiji and Reiko," she continued. After everyone had been introduced properly, Kikyo went over to Goku to try and resuscitate him while the others continued to have tea.

"Hey Kags, what did that idiot of a brother of yours do now?" Inuyasha asked, watching his girlfriend set down Goku in a sofa and coming over to join them.

"Something that he'll regret very much when I beat him unconscious again," Kagome gritted out.

"Oh Kagome, don't. I just finished waking him. Can't you do it later?" Kikyo pleaded. Kagome turned her head slowly in her brother's direction.

"Oh, so my dear brother is awake is he?" she asked. Without waiting for an answer, she stood up and went over to Goku. The others watched in surprise, and excitement, as Kagome proceeded to knock her twin unconscious again. Sango shook her head in disbelief.

"Honestly, that Goku. He knows better than anyone that making Kagome mad is like signing your own death warrant, but he keeps dong it anyway," she said. Genesis nodded their heads in agreement.

Sango noticed the surprised looks on the faces of Itachi and the others, and understood.

"You're name is Hinata, right?" Sango addressed Hinata kindly. Hinata blushed and looked down, but managed a small nod.

"My guess from the look on your face is that you've never seen those two act like this before, right?" Sango continued. Again, Hinata just nodded.

Sango chuckled. "Don't worry, something like this is normal for those two. You know, Goku really takes his role as the eldest brother seriously, but there are times when he just can't resist teasing Kagome. And since those times are a bit rare, Goku does something that really makes Kagome mad. Like blackmailing her, making her go on blind dates, and stuff like that. And Kagome is really not someone you should get angry. Although it may take her some time to forgive him, Kagome always does. After all, they are twins. So don't worry," she explained.

"Whoa, that was awesome!" they heard someone shout excitedly. Sango and the other turned to see Kagome walking back towards them, a small and satisfied smile on her face.

"Well, that felt good," she said and drank her tea.

"Kagome, don't you think you should take your brother to the palace healer? He looks awful," Keiji suggested.

Kagome blinked and looked back at her brother. He does look a little horrible. She sighed.

"I suppose," she muttered under her breath. She snapped her fingers and the creature she summoned during the training session.

"Kilala, please bring him to the healer," Kagome said. The demon now identified as Kilala seemed to nod in understanding and left the room, dragging the unconscious form of Goku behind her.

"Kagome, what was that creature you summoned?" Hinata asked curiously.

Kagome set down her teacup. "Kilala is my demon guardian. The one that my brother summoned is called Setsu. Their duty is to protect us. In cases that we are too weak to summon them, they will appear on their own. My brothers and I have two demon guardians each. Our father gave them to us when we were just children. Souta is still training with his demon guardians," Kagome explained.

"Why would the two of you need demon guardians?" Ruka asked.

"Because Mom and Dad never intended to teach us everything they knew about fighting, only enough for us to defend ourselves. Big bro and I were the ones who insisted on learning more. After Mom and Dad have taught us everything they could teach, we traveled around the world, learning more fighting techniques from experts," Kagome continued.

"Hey wait. Kagome, what did your brother do anyway?" Keiji interrupted. Kagome sighed irritably.

"That idiotic brother of mine told Mom that I had to stay until the end of the upcoming ball," she said, annoyed. Itachi and the others looked confused while Genesis nodded in understanding.

"I don't get it. What's wrong with that?" Sasuke asked. Reiko decided to answer.

"It's because Kagome is really not comfortable with formal balls. She feels really awkward whenever she attends one," she explained.

"But I still don't get it. Kagome has attended the other balls that were held," Sasuke pointed out.

"But have you ever seen her stay for more than two or three hours?" Kikyo asked. No one answered. Thinking about it, they never did see Kagome stay long during the balls…

"See? Kagome can only stand balls and formal parties for a short period of time. After that, she quickly leaves," Kikyo pointed out.

"And that's exactly what's so annoying about it!" Kagome whined, "Goku knows about it, yet he purposely told Mom that I had to stay until the end of the ball, just to annoy me!"

"Just calm down, Kagome. You should b used to your brother's attitude. You know that he can't help acting childish sometimes," Miroku said in his calming voice.

Kagome sighed. "I know. But I still get annoyed," she said dejectedly.

Keiji snorted. "Yeah, who wouldn't? With all the stupid things your brother has done, I'm a little surprised you haven't killed him yet. Remember when he set you up on a blind date with the president of your fan club without telling you? And that time he blackmailed you to do all his chores for three months in exchange for not spreading copies of your modeling pictures at school? And oh, that time you had to go to Spain with your Dad to find some artifacts for your shrine, and you came back to find your phone bill went through the roof because Goku has been using your cell phone to call his…"

Keiji never got to continue on account of Inuyasha and Miroku's hands covering his mouth.

"Shut up, you blabber mouth! Do you want Kagome to get mad a us as well?" Inuyasha hissed. The three of them looked at Kagome to see her shaking in anger as she remembered the things Keiji just said. The three of them started to back away in fright.

Miroku turned to Sango. "You better calm her down, or Keiji will be joining Goku in the healer's office," he said. Sango nodded.

"Kagome, what do you think about the new collection that is going to be added to the shrine?" Sango asked.

Kagome, who was about to approach the three men cowering behind Sasuke and Hinata, turned to her in confusion.

"New collection?" she asked.

"You mean your Mom hasn't told you yet? She told it about it before we were showed here," Kikyo said.

"I really don't know what it is. Mom hasn't told me anything," Kagome insisted.

"Your Dad is looking for an ancient scroll. It belonged to some guy your ancestor was friends with or something like that," Keiji said when he was sure that it was safe to approach Kagome.

"It's strange that Mom didn't say anything," Kagome said thoughtfully.

"They really have no idea, do they?" Kikyo whispered to the rest of Genesis.

"Seems like it," Inuyasha replied.

"I think its best that we don't tell them. They'll find out soon anyway," Sango said, and the rest agreed.

"What are you guys whispering about there?" Kagome asked.

"Nothing Kags. It's just that we really need to go. Inuyasha's dad is waiting for us," Miroku said. Kagome looked slightly disappointed.

"Oh, alright. Take care, all right! And say hi to Sugini for me!" Kagome said. After a few more farewells, Genesis turned to leave. But before they could go through the door, Kagome called them back, suddenly remembering something.

"Guys, wait! The second reason, what is it?" she called to them.

Inuyasha smirked. "Don't worry about that Kagome. You'll find out when what you have to do here is over," she said. But before Kagome could question them further, they had hurried off.

Kagome sighed. "Not fair," she muttered. Turning back into the room, she sat down with Itachi, Neji and Hinata (Sasuke, Riku and Ruka had excused themselves earlier).

"It sure was nice to see those guys again. What did you think of them?" Kagome addressed Hinata.

"Well, they…looked nice," Hinata replied softly. Kagome smiled at her.

"Well, I'd better get going. Mom will probably wonder why Goku was sent to the healer. Later!" Kagome said. With a bright smile that sent Itachi and Neji's heart racing, Kagome left.

&&&

1 Remember, Inuyasha said that Genesis was with him when they saw each other at the company.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: Genesis Rocks the House!!**

Kagome stood alone in the dojo, eyes closed and her sword before her. Slowly, steadily, she started moving through the moves of a technique her father taught her, moving so gracefully that she looked as if she was dancing. If one looked closely enough, you could see he aura dancing around her, as if moving in rhythm to an invisible music. Only the approach of her brother's aura broke her concentration.

"Hey, big bro. How are you today?" Kagome asked cheerfully. Goku only stuck out his tongue at her before moving to one corner to sit down, wincing in pain as he did. The wounds he received from her still haven't healed properly.

"You're really rubbing it in my face, aren't you?" Goku asked darkly. Kagome giggled before sitting down beside him.

"But you know that it's all your fault, so I have a right to gloat," she said, still in that annoyingly cheerful voice. Goku felt his temper snap, but wisely kept it in check. He knew that even though Kagome may be acting so happy right now, that could change in an instant if he says the wrong thing. So he contented himself with saying what he came to say.

"Listen, Mom wants you in her room in two hours. She's got some designs for the dress you're going to wear for the ball, and she needs to know what you like best so the palace tailors can get started. The clothes the others are going to wear are already prepared. The only one's left are yours and mine," he said.

Instantly, Kagome remembered her mother's words when she found out that she sent her brother to the healer.

***Flashback***

"Kagome dear, do you mind telling me why your older brother is lying in this comatose state in the healer's office?" YengLa asked, smiling kindly. Even though she was smiling, it was easy to see that she was really, really mad (her aura glowing darkly and menacingly around her was a dead give-away).

Kagome flinched, wishing to back away from the scary scene in front of her. She chose her next words carefully, knowing just how scary her mother can really be.

"Um…well…it's uh…because of…" Kagome struggled to say.

"Yes, dear?" her mother prompted. Kagome straightened immediately. Her mother was starting to reach her limits…

"Well, it's because I knocked him unconscious earlier. The reason for that is because he convinced you that it would be a good idea for me to stay at the coming ball until the very end. Since he knows very well how much I dislike balls, I knew he was just doing it to annoy me," Kagome explained. She knew it would be best to say everything in one go.

"Kagome, you know how much I dislike of you beating other people up. It's not very womanlike. You know perfectly well that the reason your father and I taught you how to fight is so you can defend yourself," YengLa continued.

"I know…" Kagome mumbled.

"Oh… and you shouldn't be so mean to your brother. He is older after all," YengLa added thoughtfully. (So as it looks like, YengLa isn't mad that Kagome comatose her brother; she's mad that Kagome isn't acting like a proper lady should. That's a bit cold-hearted for a mother, isn't it?)

"…so as punishment, you have to attend the ball, and stay until the end. **Do you understand?**" she finished sternly.

"Yes," was all Kagome could say.

***End of Flashback***

The memory made Kagome shiver slightly.

"What's the matter? You cold or something?" Goku asked.

"Nothing. I'm fine," Kagome said. Goku eyed his twin, but put the matter aside.

"Well whatever. You want to spar with me before you have to meet Mom?" he asked.

Kagome suddenly brightened. "Sure thing!" she said.

***

"Man, that sounds so boring," Keiji commented from his place in Reiko's lap.

"You mean you guys have done nothing but prepare for the ball instead of practicing for the tournament?" Miroku asked, a little surprised.

Kagome and Goku nodded. "Yup," they said in unison, "totally boring"

"Fighting sounds a lot more fun compared to the stuff you guys are doing right now," Sango said. Genesis agreed.

"I know, but Mom says this ball is really important. It's crucial that we behave our best," Kagome explained.

"Yeah, but that doesn't change the fact that it's boring," Inuyasha said.

"True," Kagome and Goku replied.

Genesis was gathered at the park some distance from the Chen Palace, and as usual, they were getting more attention than usual. Normally, this wouldn't have bothered them, but Kagome's and Goku's fame has increased since they were recognized as part of the Chen Clan. So as a result, the attention they were getting has increased at least three times.

"Hey, what are you looking at? We're not a TV show, so move it!" Inuyasha snapped at a group of boys ogling at the girls.

"Inuyasha, that was mean," Kikyo scolded lightly.

"Keh," was all Inuyasha said.

"Well, it is getting annoying. I mean ever since we got here, people have done nothing but stare at us. It's really rude of them," Sango pointed out.

"Yeah!" Keiji exclaimed, still lying on Reiko's lap, "I mean, the reason we came here is so we could hang out and talk. But we can't even do that with all these snoops around. Hey, it's rude to point!" he snapped at a young girl who was with her friends. The girl blushed deeply, and then quickly walked away with her friends.

"Come on guys, let's go somewhere else," Reiko suggested. The rest agreed and stood up, gathering their things. The crowd instantly began to talk louder, and some even tried to approach them. But Genesis left quickly before anyone could get to them, and after a few minutes, they were in Inuyash's car.

"All right, where to?" Inuyasha, who was driving asked. Goku, who knew only one thing could fully cheer up Genesis was one thing, and he knew where they could do it.

"Guys, let's go back to the Palace," he said. Genesis looked at him, Inuyasha from the rearview mirror.

"What! You want to go back already?" Keiji asked in disbelief.

"It's not that. I have something planned for us," Goku said with a mysterious smile. The others instantly became exited. Whenever Goku plans something for them, it's usually fun.

"Hey, spill! What is it?" Miroku demanded.

"No," Goku said simply.

"Kagome, you know what it is?" Sango asked.

Kagome shook her head. "No! He didn't tell me anything!" she exclaimed.

"If that's so, then it's going to be really fun!" Sango cheered.

"Come on man, tell us already!" Keiji whined.

"No way. You'll find out when we get to the palace," Goku said with finality in his voice. No matter how much they pestered him, Goku wouldn't say anything. So they contended themselves with guessing what he had planned for them, hoping he would reveal something. But his face was completely impassive as they neared the palace.

"Come on, big bro. Were here, so tell us!" Kagome insisted, tugging on her twin's arm. But Goku only shook his head as he led the way along the large corridors.

"Where are we going?" Reiko asked.

"To look for Mom," was the reply.

"Ah! No way! Even Mom is in on this? Not fair! You guys are keeping secrets from me!" Kagome whined. But the others hardly noticed her dismay.

"1Mrs. H knows about it too? Then it's going to be really fun!" Miroku and Keiji cheered. The others agreed loudly, making the people around them stare.

"Keep it down, you wackos!" Goku scolded, but he was hardly heard. After a few more scolding, Genesis was finally reduced to silence as they walked through the large corridors, finally entering a large room filled with musical instruments, both ancient and modern. The rest of Genesis looked around, curious, as Goku walked over to a room and walk inside. After a few minutes, he came out with his mother.

"Good day to you, Mrs. H!" Genesis greeted loudly and cheerfully.

YengLa smiled. "Hello dears. It's nice to see you again," she said. Turning to Goku, she continued.

"Goku dear, everything is ready. Have fun!" she said.

"Thanks a lot for your help Mom," Goku said, bowing respectfully to her. With another smile, YengLa left.

"Alright, guys. Time for my surprise," he declared.

"Keh, finally," Inuyasha mumbled, but the others hushed him.

"Hey!" Inuyasha exclaimed, but Goku interfered before a fight could start.

"Anyway," he started loudly, once again gaining their attention, "I found out about this room sometime ago. I know that our band hasn't been in action for a while, and since Kagome and I will be very busy because of the Dark Tournament, I thought this could be our last chance to **really** have fun, **Genesis** style," he said, picking up an electric guitar.

The others watched in glee as he strummed a note and shouted, "**GENESIS IS BACK IN BUSINESS!!!**"

"**ALL RIGHT!!!**" the others shouted.

"Us first!" the girls shouted. They ran to gather their instruments and positioned themselves.

"Alright girls, ready?" Kagome asked.

"Sure thing!" Sango replied.

"Then, go!" Kikyo said. Taking a deep breath, they started.

**Can somebody explain to me  
Why everybody is tryin' to be livin' like a celebrity  
Doin' what they see on MTV  
Ice is cool but I'm looking for more  
Simple things is what my heart beats for (cause that's me)  
I don't ask for much (baby)  
Having you is enough  
**

**You ain't got to buy nothin'  
(it's not what I want)  
Baby it's you  
We don't have to go nowhere  
(it's not what I want)  
Baby it's you  
It's not 'bout what you got  
I know you got a lot  
No matter what you do, you always get it hot, it's you (it's you)  
Baby all I want is you**

**It don't matter that your car is fly  
And your rims are spinnin' on the side and  
It don't matter where we go tonight  
Cause if I'm with you I'll be all right  
That's cool, but I'm lookin' for more  
It's your love that my heart beats for (cause that's me)  
You don't have to spend a dime (baby)  
I just want your time**

**You ain't got to buy nothin'  
(it's not what Iwant)  
Baby it's you  
We don't have to go nowhere  
(it's not what I want)  
Baby it's you  
It's not 'bout what you got  
I know you got a lot  
No matter what you do, you always get it hot, it's you (it's you)  
Baby all I want is you**

**Hey, yeah**

**You ain't got to buy nothin'  
(it's not what I want)  
Baby it's you  
We don't have to go nowhere  
(it's not what I want)  
Baby it's you  
It's not 'bout what you got  
I know you got a lot  
No matter what you do, you always get it hot, it's you (it's you)  
Baby all I want is you**

The others cheered as they finished. The girls prepared for another song.

**Welcome to a new day  
Don't know what's on the way  
But whatever it is I'll be ready  
On your mark get set go  
Here's the show and the road  
But with you it's a load I can carry  
And with each breath I would take it  
Every moment gonna make it**

**It's a wonderful crazy  
It's a beautiful out of control  
Kinda scary amazing  
But I don't really mind at all  
It's like I'm falling, flying, laughing, crying  
Hanging on and letting go  
Cause my life' so wonderful crazy crazy**

**Some days get intense  
And breakdown my defense  
But I'm here and I'm not giving up  
Gonna take in the sights  
On the ride of my life  
Living just to survive's not enough  
So much love to discover  
I don't need any other**

**It's a wonderful crazy  
It's a beautiful out of control  
Kinda scary amazing  
But I don't really mind at all  
It's like I'm falling, flying, laughing, crying  
Hanging on and letting go  
Cause my life' so wonderful crazy crazy **

**  
It's a beautiful crazy  
I'ts a beautiful out of control  
Kinda scary amazing  
But I don't really mind at all**

**It's like I'm falling, flying, laughing, crying  
Hanging on and letting go  
Cause my life' so wonderful crazy crazy **

"Awesome guys!!" Keiji shouted as he cheered with the others. By this time, Itachi, Riku and Sasuke had passed by the room, most likely heading to the dojo (Incidentally, the music room is near the Uchiha quarters, so that's probably why Kagome and Goku have never seen it before). Kagome spotted them and said their names through the microphone.

"Hey, Itachi, Riku, Sasuke!!" she said cheerfully (but since she's using a mic, it sounds more like she's shouting, isn't it?). Genesis turned to the door. Itachi, Riku and Sasuke turned to them, surprised.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?" Sasuke was the first to recover. Kagome went over happily to them while the others adjusted the instruments.

"Just having fun!" Kagome answered brightly, "and having a slight reunion. You see, we have a band, but since Goku and I have been in Japan, it's been put on hold. So we were just holding a mini concert. You guys wanna watch?" she asked brightly. Before anyone could reply, Sango shouted.

"Kags, come on. Were ready!" she shouted.

"Coming!" Kagome shouted back. Smiling once again at Itachi and the others, she hurried back to the others.

"So what's the next song?" Kagome asked. Goku stood up and went over to Itachi and the others.

"Come on and watch. I'm sure it's fine if you miss practice just once," he invited. Sasuke and Riku looked at Itachi uncertainly. He looked like he was about to accept the invitation when they heard someone say Itachi's name.

"Itachi!" came his father's voice. They turned to see the head of the Uchiha Clan walking towards them, a stern expression on his face. They bowed respectfully.

"Good day to you, Lord Uchiha. I hope my friends and I weren't disturbing you?" Goku spoke first.

"No, I just came to see if my son and his partner have gone to the training hall yet," came the reply. He turned to Itachi.

"Lord Hyuuga and his fighters are already there. Let's go," he said sternly and led the way out.

"Too bad. Maybe next time," Goku said with a sympathetic smile. He waved goodbye to the three of them, and then returned to his friends.

"Hey, what was that about?" Inuyasha asked as the girls resumed their singing.

"Nothing," Goku waved it off. Reiko, who was recording the whole thing on her ever-handy video cam, suddenly remembered something.

"Hey Goku, didn't you say that you wrote a bunch of songs? Are they ready for recording?" she asked (Since Reiko is too shy to perform in front of other people, she acts as the group manager. She takes care of all the gigs they may have, and keeps a copy of all of the band's songs. Goku acts as the main songwriter).

"Yeah, don't worry. I already got you a copy of all of them, so…" Goku started, but was interrupted by Keiji, who was listening to the conversation.

"Dude, no way! We got new songs? Let me see!" he said in a loud voice that caught everyone's attention.

"Shut up, you idiot!" Goku hissed, but too late. The others had already heard.

"New songs? Cool!" Sango and Kikyo squealed, setting down their instruments and running over to Goku, Kagome following.

"What's the title?"

"When did you write them?

"You're so mean, not saying anything. Were supposed to be a band…"

"Can we start practicing them now?"

Their questions came after another so fast that it didn't give Goku any chance to answer. He took a deep breath, and Reiko, guessing what he's about to do, quickly covered her ears.

"**SHUT UP, YOU WACKOS! I CAN'T EVEN THINK WITH YOU GUYS TALKING AT THE SAME TIME LIKE THAT! I'LL ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS SO BE QUIET!**" he roared. The whole room fell silent. Everyone, except Reiko who had the sense to cover her ears, lay on the floor on top of each other. They looked unconscious. Reiko turned to Goku.

"I think that was too much," she said.

"They'll wake up soon, especially since were going to do some of the songs right now," Goku replied. At the mention of the word 'songs', Genesis was instantly revived. Goku and Reiko sweat dropped.

"Hey, that was fast," Reiko commented.

"That was weird," Goku murmured, but the others hardly heard.

"Were doing the songs now?" Keiji asked.

"Yeah…" Goku replied softly. The others cheered loudly.

_I swear, these guys are weirdo's when it comes to music_ Goku thought. He stood up and proceeded to the stage.

"Well, come on, let's get started. I got the lyrics right here," he said. The boys smirked and got on stage as well. As they adjusted their instruments, Goku handed the lyrics around.

"Cool…" Keiji mumbled, looking at the piece of paper Goku gave him.

"Let's go, then," Goku said.

**Woohoohoo**

**Woohoohoo**

**Debbie just hit the wall, she never had it all**

**One Prozac a day, husband's a CPA**

**Her dreams went out the door**

**When she turned twenty-four**

**Only been with one man**

**What happened to her plan**

**She was gonna be an actress**

**She was gonna be a star**

**She was gonna shake her ass**

**On the hood of White Snake's car**

**Her yellow SUV is now the enemy**

**Looks at her average life**

**And nothing has been alright**

**Since Bruce Springsteen, Madonna**

**Way before Nirvana**

**There was U2 and Blondie**

**And music still on MTV**

**Her two kids in high school**

**They tell her that she's uncool**

**Cause she's still preoccupied**

**With 19, 19, 1985**

**Woohoohoo**

**(1985)**

**Woohoohoo**

**She's seen all the classics, she knows every line**

**'Breakfast Club', 'Pretty in Pink'**

**Even 'St. Elmo's Fire'**

**She rocked out to Wham!**

**Not a big Limp Bizkit fan**

**Thought she'd get a hand**

**On a member of Duran Duran**

**Where's the mini-skirt made of snake skin**

**And who's the other guy that's singing in Van Halen**

**When did reality become TV**

**Whatever happened to sitcoms, game shows**

**On the radio was**

**Springsteen, Madonna**

**Way before Nirvana**

**There was U2 and Blondie**

**And music still on MTV**

**Her two kids in high school**

**They tell her that she's uncool**

**Cause she's still preoccupied**

**With 19, 19, 1985**

**Woohoohoo**

**She hates time, make it stop**

**When did Motley Crue become classic rock**

**And when did Ozzy become an actor**

**Please make this stop, stop**

**Stop, and bring back**

**Springsteen, Madonna**

**Way before Nirvana**

**There was U2 and Blondie**

**And music still on MTV**

**Her two kids in high school**

**They tell her that she's uncool**

**Cause she's still preoccupied**

**With 1985**

**Springsteen, Madonna**

**Way before Nirvana**

**There was U2 and Blondie**

**And music still on MTV**

**Her two kids in high school**

**They tell her that she's uncool**

**Cause she's still preoccupied**

**With 19, 19, 1985**

"That was so cool!" Kikyo shouted.

"Awesome!" Kagome and Sango exclaimed.

**8 o'clock Monday night and I'm waiting  
To finally talk to a girl a little cooler than me  
Her name is Nona she's a rocker with a nose ring  
She wears a 2-way,  
but I'm not quite sure what that means**

**And when she walks,  
all the wind blows and the angels sing  
But she doesn't notice me**

**'Cause she's watching wrestling  
Creaming over tough guys  
Listening to rap metal  
Turntables in her eyes**

**It's like a bad movie  
She's looking through me  
If you were me than you'd be  
Screaming "someone shoot me,"  
as I fail miserably  
Trying to get the GIRL ALL THE BAD GUYS WANT**

**She likes the Godsmack and I like Agent Orange  
Her CD change's full of singers that are mad at their dad  
She said she'd like to score some reefer and a 40  
She'll never know that I'm the best thing she'll never have**

**And when she walks,  
all the wind blows and the angels sing  
But she doesn't notice me**

**'Cause she's watching wrestling  
Creaming over tough guys  
Listening to rap metal  
Turntables in her eyes  
She likes them with a mustache  
Racetrack season pass  
Driving in a Tans Am  
Does a mullet make a man?**

**It's like a bad movie  
She's looking through me  
If you were me than you'd be  
Screaming "someone shoot me,"  
as I fail miserably  
Trying to get the GIRL ALL THE BAD GUYS WANT  
GIRL ALL THE BAD GUYS WANT  
GIRL ALL THE BAD GUYS WANT  
GIRL ALL THE BAD GUYS WANT**

**There she goes again with fishnets on  
And dreadlocks in her hair  
She broke my heart, I want to be sedated  
All I wanted was to see her naked**

**Now I'm watching wrestling  
Trying to be a tough guys  
Listening to rap metal  
Turntables in my eyes  
I can't grow a mustache and  
I ain't got no season pass  
All I got's a moped...moped...moped**

**It's like a bad movie  
She's looking through me  
If you were me than you'd be  
Screaming "someone shoot me,"  
as I fail miserably  
Trying to get the GIRL ALL THE BAD GUYS WANT  
'CAUSE SHE'S THE GIRL ALL THE BAD GUYS WANT  
'CAUSE SHE'S THE GIRL ALL THE BAD GUYS WANT  
'CAUSE SHE'S THE GIRL ALL THE BAD GUYS WANT  
'CAUSE SHE'S THE GIRL ALL THE BAD GUYS WANT  
'CAUSE SHE'S THE GIRL ALL THE BAD GUYS WANT  
'CAUSE SHE'S THE GIRL ALL THE BAD GUYS WANT  
'CAUSE SHE'S THE GIRL ALL THE BAD GUYS**

The girls were cheering even before the song was finished. The guys hopped off the stage for a break.

"That was awesome, big bro!" Kagome exclaimed excitedly, "You really haven't lost your touch!"

Goku smirked. "Of course!" he just said.

"That was really amazing," came a voice from the doorway. They turned to see YengLa approaching them, a bright smile on her face.

"Hiya Mrs. H!" Genesis exclaimed.

"Stop! How many times must I tell you to stop calling my Mom that?" Goku snapped. YengLa laughed.

"Don't worry about it Goku dear. I don't mind," she said.

"See? Mrs. H doesn't mid at all," Keiji said. Goku looked at him darkly, making him flinch.

"Careful," Kagome warned in a whisper.

"Anyway, I'm sorry dear. I know how much fun all of you are having, but it's time for your friends to go back. It's nearly dark and Sugini has already called me asking about them," YengLa said to Kagome. Genesis seemed to sag in disappointment.

"I'm really sorry," YengLa said sincerely.

"It's alright Mom. It can't be helped," Goku said. Turning to his friends, he continued. "Hey you guys, get out. Were just about to have dinner,"

Inuyasha, Miroku and Keiji erupted. "Hey! What was that?! Don't just throw us out like that!" they shouted. Goku said nothing, but just continued to shoo them away. Kagome interfered before a fight could start.

"All right, big bro. Don't be mean. We'll see you guys later," Kagome added to her friends. After a few more goodbye's Genesis left.

"You shouldn't have done that big bro. Poor Kikyo, Sango and Reiko," Kagome mumbled.

"Why did you say that?" Goku asked, confused.

"There were the ones who have to bear the guys all the way to the hotel. Which means that the next time they visit, they'll be mad at you," Kagome pointed out. Goku stopped in his tracks, letting what his sister said sink in his head.

"Shit," Goku muttered under his breath.

&&&

NOTE:

THE SONGS USED IN THIS CHAPTER ARE THE FOLLOWING:

*BABY IT'S YOU – JOJO

*WONDERFUL CRAZY – KATELYN TARVER

*1985 – BOWLING FOR SOUP

*GIRL ALL THE BAD GUYS WANT – BOWLING FOR SOUP

I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THIS SONGS. I JUST BORROWED THEM FOR THE BENEFIT OF MY STORIES. THANK YOU!!

1 This is the nickname Genesis calls Kagome's and Goku's Mom. They also have a nickname for their Dad.


End file.
